Second Chance
by CrazySarahify
Summary: What would you do if you died and were given a second chance to live? What if coming back meant you return as a child and you and the people most important to you lost all their memories along with their age? Find out what Ace, Sabo, and Luffy end up going through just to be with each other. No pairings. T for language and violence.
1. Decisions

Chapter 1: Decisions

**(Hey Guyz~! So this is my first attempt at a One Piece fanfic… I got a laptop for Christmas so guess what I'm trying to get used to as well… It's annoying as hell, I'll give you that. It isn't the laptop that's annoying, it's the fact that I can't get Open Office on it and now I have to use Word… Ew… Just so you know, I may not get all the facts completely right. Watching enough spoilers tells you everything causing you to practically skip the entirety of the Marineford. Pretty much I haven't seen anything from after the Strawhats landing on Sabaody Archipelago to Luffy's flashbacks of him, Ace, and Sabo as kids. Sorry. I just don't want to see Ace die… But whatever. Let's just get started. On to the crap!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I did then Sabo would not have been in the accident, Ace would not have died, Whitebeard would have lived, Akainu would have died brutally, and Marco would be in it more.**

He looked around the space that surrounded him. It wasn't pitch black like many believed and it wasn't blindingly white much to the thoughts of others. It was just… empty. There was no other way to describe it. But something in his mind made him believe there was something out there.

His first step felt strange. There was nothing below his feet and yet he wasn't falling. He chose to ignore the strange fact and just walk in the direction his mind told him to go.

"Where am I?" He asked himself, his voice echoing. The sudden sound was almost deafening compared to the silence.

He believed looking through his memories would tell him how he got where he was. He had been arrested, sent to Impel Down, then sent to Marineford for his execution… But he was saved! Right?

Focusing harder on what happened later he finally remembered. He was waiting for his death when his father figure had come, with his brothers and sisters, to save him. A war. A war between pirates and marines, all for his life. The fighting seemed like forever until he saw something falling from the sky. But what was it? No… It wasn't a 'what', it was a 'who'. But then who was it?

"Come on Ace… Think…! Who was it?" The man, Ace, thought aloud.

He chuckled to himself. His little brother would have called him crazy for talking to himself. Wait. That's who it was! The person falling from the sky was his little brother, Luffy! Luffy had arrived almost out of nowhere and was fighting to save him.

After a while, and watching his little brother punch their grandfather, Luffy had made it to him and had saved him. (Did he forget something? Oh well. Probably not important.) Luffy unlocked his handcuffs after the scaffold he was on had collapsed. Him, Luffy, and some other guy Luffy seemed to know (his hair was in the shape of a '3', he acted weird, and was able to make wax come from his body. Of course Luffy knew the guy) started fighting to escape.

Anyways, he and Luffy were fighting some of the marines when his father made the order to retreat. Just as he was doing so he had heard one of the admirals call his family cowards. Easy to say he was pissed off and the fact that the man was bad mouthing his father was making it even worse. That's where everything started to go downhill…

He had started fighting the admiral, Akainu was the mans name. Just the thought of that man's name made him furious. First the man had insulted his father, had started to win in their fight, and then, when he was momentarily down, the man had gone after his little brother who couldn't even move! With or without him even knowing he had gotten up and had jumped in between the mans fist, made entirely out of magma, and his little brother.

"That's right… I sacrificed myself to save Lu…" Ace mumbled to himself again, it wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to.

As he recalled his last few moments of life, he remembered his final words to his little brother, his limp body falling out of his brothers arms, and, in the very last seconds he had, he heard his little brother sob louder than he had ever done.

"Lu didn't even cry that bad when Sabo died... Why…? Why did he cry harder over me of all people…? Sabo was a better brother than I could have ever been… So why me?" Ace questioned. He didn't know why he was still speaking aloud. He knew nobody would answer him.

"He cried harder because you were there for him. You were still his brother and he still loved you, believe it or not." A voice said from in front of Ace.

Ace jumped slightly at the sudden sound that hadn't been his own and slowly looked up, not remembering when he had looked down. When his eyes met the small boy in front of him, Ace was shocked.

Ace looked over the boy carefully to make sure he wasn't mistaken. The boy had been wearing a blue coat with rolled up sleeves but under that he wore a black shirt tucked into his cyan pants which were held up by a belt with an elaborate flower designed buckle along with old, torn up, white cravat around his neck. Atop the boys head was a large black top hat with blue goggles on it, short, curly, blond hair sticking out from underneath the hat. Upon the boys face was his usual toothy grin with its usual gap.

"S-Sabo…?" Ace whispered.

"And by the way, I wasn't the better brother. Neither of us were. But if I had to choose, then you were _definitely _the better brother. Did you see him fighting? He's gotten so strong! And we thought he was the weak one!" Sabo said before laughing.

"How does that make me the better brother?" Ace asked slowly, still shocked.

"Simple. You were his goal." Sabo stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No I wasn't. His goal was to become the Pirate King." Ace said, getting annoyed.

"Wrong. That's his dream. Not his goal. Did you see how he stared at you when you fought? He saw how strong you were and always wanted to be as strong, if not stronger, than you!" Sabo shouted to his brother.

"But… I was weak… I couldn't do anything right!" Ace shouted to, what would have been, the floor.

"In his eyes, you were strong. He even thought of himself as lucky, and do you know why?" Sabo paused for an answer only to get a small shake of the head from his brother. "Luffy considered himself lucky because he had you as a brother. To him, you were the most important person in the world, after me of course." Sabo said, adding the last part jokingly hoping to get a reaction from Ace.

Much to Sabo's happiness, Ace had reacted. Ace had chuckled and looked back to his brother.

"Yeah right! I was never behind you! I was always number one! Especially compared to you, _num-ber two_~" Ace said with a smirk.

"What!? Yeah right! You know what! I take it all back! I _was_ the better brother!" Sabo said before laughing.

"Nope. You already said it. You can't take it back." Ace said before sticking his tongue out at his brother.

As Sabo stopped laughing, he opened his eyes and looked at his brother, causing him to smile. "Listen to yourself Ace. You're starting to act like you did when you were ten! You're even starting to look and sound like it!"

"What?" Ace asked, listening to his voice and noticing it was higher pitch. He really did sound like a ten year old.

"Just look at yourself." Sabo said while pointing to something to the side of Ace.

The man in question looked to the left, where Sabo was pointing, and saw a full body mirror. In the mirror, he saw something he thought he would never see. Sabo was right. Ace even looked like his ten year old self. But why?

"Don't you miss it Ace? Being naïve? Just running around the forest, hunting, laughing, and having the biggest smiles? Don't you miss being ten?" Sabo asked with a small smile.

Ace looked at Sabo questioningly. "Yeah… I kinda wish we could just go back. Back to us being kids. Back to us being the tiny idiots that we were. Hell, I even miss Luffy being a cry baby and freaking out over nothing!" Ace said jokingly.

Suddenly, Sabo's head had lowered just enough for his eyes to be covered by the brim of his beloved hat. "We can go back…" He whispered.

"What?" Ace questioned with shock. "What do you mean?"

"We can go back. Back to Luffy and the world of the living!" Sabo said excitedly.

"Really?" Ace asked happily before he suddenly grew serious. "If it's possible then why didn't you do it before?"

"I had found out it was possible about three years after my death. But it had some side effects and I didn't know if you and Lu were willing to risk it." Sabo said.

"What are the side effects?" Ace asked, a droplet of fear slowly growing inside his chest.

"We go back as how we were before the first tragedy and whoever was the most effected by the event goes back as well." Sabo explained.

Ace looked at the blond with a confused expression. Even after all these years, he still couldn't understand the boy.

Sabo sighed at his brothers expression. "It means we go back to being ten and Luffy goes back to being seven along with most of your strength being taken away. Maybe even memory loss…" Sabo said sadly.

"So… We would be alive… as kids. And we would have no memories of what happened the past ten years…?" Ace asked, completely shocked.

"Basically…" Sabo stated.

"I… I want to go back but… How could we give up something that isn't ours…? I don't mind losing my memories if it means being with both of you again but… What if Lu wants to keep his? We can't take his memories away from him like that…" Ace stated.

"Now you know why I didn't come back…" Sabo stated sadly.

"Wait… You've been watching over us, right?" Ace asked.

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with this?" Sabo asked curiously.

"Maybe we can check up on him and see what he would want!" Ace said excitedly.

"That isn't possible Ace. Do you even know how many times I've tried to talk to you guys?" Sabo said, looking down.

"But this is different!" Ace said, his excitement growing and gaining the blonds attention. "Luffy always showed his emotions with or without meaning to! All we have to do is watch over him and eventually he'll tell us, even if he doesn't know it!"

Sabo gasped before smiling. "You're right! Why hadn't I thought of that?"

Ace chuckled, proud he had outwitted his brother. (Honestly he shouldn't have been proud. He was 20 and Sabo was 10. If anything it made him seem a little dumber.) "So how do we get to him?" Ace asked.

"Easy. Just imagine being right next to him." Sabo said with a smile.

Ace nodded before closing his eyes and doing as he was told. '_Luffy… Please be okay…_' Ace thought to himself.

* * *

After a few moments, Ace felt like he could open his eyes. When the he did just that, he quickly regretted it.

Ace looked to his right and saw Sabo with wide eyes. Looking carefully, Ace could even see the small beginning of tears.

"Luffy…" Sabo muttered under his breath, completely shocked.

Ace looked back at what was in front of him and felt his eyes getting watery. In front of him was his unconscious little brother. From what Ace could see, Luffy had an oxygen mask on and tubes sticking out from underneath the sheets. He wasn't stupid. Ace knew those were connected to Luffy and were keeping the boy alive.

"Why? Luffy wasn't this badly injured before I died! Hell he seemed perfectly fine if you ignored his exhaustion! So why is he so badly hurt now!? What happened after I passed? I know he was most likely traumatized but trauma doesn't cause _this_!" Ace shouted, ignoring the warm stream of water that slowly fell from his eyes.

"Ace…" Sabo said shakily "Do you think… Maybe he was so traumatized he couldn't move and was attacked…?"

Ace froze. Did that mean… Was it his fault his little brother was so injured and probably near death? "So it's… my fault…? It's my fault Luffy's like this…?" Ace said with his head down, hair covering his eyes, and voice so quiet that it was barely a whisper but loud enough for Sabo to hear.

"No it isn't Ace! You saved him! It's because of you that Luffy is still alive! If it wasn't for you then he would be here next to me instead of you! Hell, both of you could have been here next to me!" Sabo said as he grabbed Ace's shoulders and shook him, attempting to wake him up from his stupor.

"If I wasn't so stubborn then both of us would be on the Moby Dick with Oyaji! If I wasn't so stubborn then I wouldn't have gone after Blackbeard, been caught, and the war would never have happened!" Ace shouted as he lifted his head revealing his tear stained eyes.

Sabo was shocked. Even after ten years, Ace would _never _let anyone see him cry. Hell Ace never cried! But here he was. Crying his eyes out because their little brother was injured and he was blaming himself for it. Sabo didn't know what to do. Unconsciously, Sabo had pulled Ace into a hug as an attempt to comfort him.

Ace, acting nothing like his usual self, held his brother tightly and cried into his shoulder. After a few moments, the tears finally stopped but Ace didn't let go and neither did Sabo.

"Sabo…" Ace whispered. "I'm scared… I want to be with Luffy again but… I don't want him to be with us…"

Sabo had to think about it for a few moments before agreeing with him. He wanted to be with Luffy, who was in the world of the living and could be seen, felt, and heard, but didn't want Luffy to be with them, who were in the afterworld, allowed to go to the world of the living, but never to be noticed. They wanted to be alive with him instead of him being dead with them.

* * *

For an entire week, the two brothers sat in the same room with their youngest sibling. Every time a doctor came into the room, Ace and Sabo would move out of the way even though they knew the doctor could pass through them. They were scared for their brothers life and couldn't think straight. What scared them the most was what they saw almost every time a doctor came in.

Whenever a doctor came in, they saw the large wound on Luffy's chest and all the light cuts and bruises that seemed to make it worse. It scared them to see it. Just the mere sight reminded them how close to death Luffy was. They tried to avoid the thought by not looking at it but… It was so hard to look away. It was almost like it was forcing them to look.

Today was different though. Yesterday one of the doctors had deemed Luffy healthy enough that he didn't need as frequent of checkups. The proof? The doctor had wrapped Luffy in bandages – making him look like a mummy – and had taken those disgusting tubes away, although he still needed the oxygen mask. For the first time in a week, Ace and Sabo thought they would soon be able to smile with their brother.

As soon as the doctor had left, Ace and Sabo went back to where they were standing before. Ace had stepped closer to Luffy and was looking him over and smiled slightly.

"Wake up soon Lu. We want to see you out of this bed. Seeing you bed ridden just isn't right." Ace whispered before brushing a strand of Luffy's hair out of his face.

Almost as soon as Ace's hand touched Luffy's skin, Luffy's eyes shot open causing Ace to jump back in shock.

"Ace? What's wrong?" Sabo asked curiously.

"L-Luffy…" Ace whispered under his breathe.

Before Sabo had a chance to ask another question, Luffy moved and was slowly sitting up in his bed. Luffy looked around for a moment before taking the oxygen mask off. As soon as Luffy stood up, he clutched his head and nearly fell over.

"Luffy! What's wrong?" Ace and Sabo yelled in unison, worry completely over whelming them.

Luffy slowly let go of his head and stood as straight as he could. It took Ace and Sabo less than a second to figure out something was horribly wrong. Ace and Sabo had seen Luffy's eyes. Those eyes that were usually over filled with joy, now carried every emotion other than joy or anything akin to it. Luffy was lost…

While Ace and Sabo were frozen in shock, and partial fear, Luffy had broken down the door to the room and was leaving. Once the brothers had snapped out of their stupor, Luffy was already gone. The two boys ran out of the room and followed the path of unconscious doctors their little brother was so kind to leave behind.

After a few minutes, they had caught up to Luffy outside the ship. They ran up behind him and saw him on his knees in front of two others; a fishman – Ace knew was Jinbei – and one of the doctors the boys were smart enough to figure out was the captain of the ship they had been on.

"Luffy!" Both boys shouted in a mix of joy and worry.

"We were worried about you, you know! Don't scare us like that again." Ace said as he walked up to Luffy.

"WHERE IS ACE?!" Luffy shouted out towards the forest in front of him.

Ace stood there frozen. After a moment Ace slowly started walking closer to Luffy, shaking with every step. "Oi… Lu… I'm right here… I've been right next to you all week… Sabo's here too…"

"Ace…" Sabo whispered.

"Come on Lu… Turn around… We're right here…" Ace said as he stopped next to Luffy. "I'm right next to you! Just turn your head, idiot!"

Ace reached out to Luffy and put his small hand on Luffy's shoulder. Within seconds, Luffy was gone, running into the forest and destroying most the trees in his path. Shortly after, Ace fell to his knees then put his hands on the floor to keep his face from hitting the ground.

"Ace!" Sabo shouted as he ran up to Ace. "Are you alright-" Sabo stopped in the middle of his question as he saw little drops hit the floor below Ace.

"I'm a horrible brother…" Ace muttered under his breathe.

"No you aren't! He just can't see, hear, or feel you! If you want to trash yourself so bad then call yourself a dumbass! Then you might be closer to telling the truth! Now come on. We have to go find our destruction-happy little brother." Sabo said.

Ace nodded before wiping his eyes and standing up.

"Better?" Sabo asked only to get a punch in the arm. "Ow!"

"Better." Ace said bluntly.

"Why'd you hit me?" Sabo shouted.

"Because you called me a dumbass. Hurry up slow poke! We need to know what Luffy chooses!" Ace shouted as he ran after Luffy.

"Hey!" Sabo shouted before chasing after both his brothers.

* * *

After a few minutes of chasing nothing but destruction, Ace and Sabo caught up to Luffy. They ran up to the boy who was standing in the middle of an opening.

"Where am I?" Luffy questioned to no one in particular before looking around "Was it… Just a dream?"

Before Ace or Sabo could attempt to answer their brother's questions, Luffy had started screaming and clutching his head. Ace and Sabo ran up to Luffy trying whatever they could to comfort him. A few moments after Luffy had collapsed onto his knees, he was standing back up and ramming his head into the walls nearby.

"Go away! Go away!" Luffy shouted repeatedly.

Ace and Sabo knew he wasn't talking to them. They knew Luffy wasn't talking about anyone. But instead something. Luffy wanted to lose the memories. That was part one. All they needed Luffy to do now was say he wanted his brothers back and they could do just that.

Almost as if Luffy had heard them, he had said it. "Bring Ace back!" Luffy shouted to the sky at full volume.

"What about Sabo?" Ace whispered as he stepped closer to Luffy. Something inside Ace told him that Luffy could hear them.

"Bring them both back! I want to see Ace and Sabo again! I WANT MY BROTHERS BACK!" Luffy shouted before falling to his knees.

"You did good Lu. We'll see you soon." Ace said as he stood next to Luffy.

"And when we do, it'll be like nothing changed. We'll be together again." Sabo said, standing next to Luffy, opposite of Ace.

"Promise?" Luffy mumbled.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other shocked. Did Luffy actually hear them?

"Of course. And you know I don't break promises." Ace said with a smirk.

"Then why did you die…? You promised you wouldn't, didn't you? Why'd you break that promise?" Luffy asked, a tear falling from his covered eyes.

"I'm here right now, aren't I?" Ace asked. "My body may have died, but I'm still here. But now we don't have to worry about that. Sabo and I are coming back, alright?"

"Really? Both of you?" Luffy asked, still not showing his eyes.

"Yeah. We're a package deal! You can't get one without getting the other!" Sabo said with a smile before laughing.

Luffy smiled a little and let out a shaky breathe that seemed to be a failed attempt at a laugh. "I can't wait… But… I'm really tired…" Luffy said before he collapsed.

"M-me too…" Ace said, collapsing under his own feet and falling next to Luffy.

"You two are so weak…" Sabo said before swaying, "I guess… I am too…" Sabo fell shortly after.

**(Okay so I started this at 7:30 pm. I'm stopping this at *checks clock* 2:35 am. Fail. To those of you who are about to yell at me that Sabo didn't die, I know. Just don't. I had already come up with an idea, fucked that up, and then came up with this. Then I remembered that little issue that I'm really happy about. So screw those of you that I know are still gonna say it. I'm lazy, it's late, and I like drama. There's my reasons now shut up. And you know how I said I haven't seen most of this. Well now I have. Wikia is very helpful by the way and so is YouTube. In the end, I had to watch Ace die at least six times. Yay for that… Whatever. Review, fave, and follow. Also tell me if you want me to continue this or not. I've been wanting to make a fic for One Piece but didn't know what to do until earlier today. Can't remember how I got the idea either… Oh well. Bai~! c(X )**


	2. Kid's Again

Chapter 2: Kid's Again

**(Hey guyz~! So the hard part is mostly over. You know what that was? 1. Trying to get most the facts right 2. Working late at night & 3. Trying not to cry when seeing Ace die. Easy to say I failed that last one… I'm seriously out of it today… But that won't stop me! Hopefully… I actually woke up this morning thinking about how to start this chapter. So here goes. On to the crap!)**

It had been three days since Jinbei had found the two ten year-olds and the now seven year-old Luffy. He had asked Law to look over the boys and see if he could figure out why Luffy was now ten years younger and see if the other two were healthy. He remembered how relieved he was when Law had told him all three were perfectly fine, even Luffy's wounds were no longer there and left no trace of ever being there.

Three days and they still haven't shown any signs of waking. Law had told him the boys should have woken up within the hour. Last Jinbei checked, an hour was a lot less than three days. So why haven't they woken up yet?

While Jinbei was trying to figure things out, Law had walked into the room and was checking up on the boys again. He wouldn't say it while Jinbei was on his ship, but these boys were pissing him off. He was a genius doctor! Everything he had ever said about his patients always turned out to be true! If he said they were to die before morning, it happened! If he said they would be perfectly within a few days, they were! When he says they will wake up within an hour, they _will_ wake up within an hour! Not three days! Three _kids_ were ruining his good name! At this point he was ready to dismember them and maybe put them back together if it meant they woke up.

Law sighed before muttering under his breath, "Damn these kids…"

"Did you say something?" Jinbei asked, finally out of his thoughts.

"You know what. Yes, yes I did. These damn kids are annoying the hell out of me! I haven't slept for a minute in the past three days because I keep trying to figure out how I was wro-" Law stopped himself, he was _not _about to say that word about _himself _of all people.

"Afraid to admit it? Face it. Every doctor is _wrong _at least once in their career." Jinbei informed.

"Not me! I'm better than those doctors! I've cured countless amounts of people while other doctors couldn't even figure out what's wrong with them! I'm a genius!" Law snapped, right eye twitching.

"Okay okay… You really need to get some sleep Law…" Jinbei said calmly.

Law's eye twitched again, "Sleep!?" he yelled.

"Shut up!" high pitched voices said from behind Law before three pillows were thrown at the man.

"You're too loud!" one of the voices shouted before kicking Law in the head causing the grown man to fall to the floor.

"What just happened…?" Law questioned slowly, anger clearly obvious in his voice.

"Your shouting woke us up. Ace isn't a morning person, by the way." The blond said as he sat up.

"Sabo, I'm hungry!" The smallest boy shouted while tugging on the blonds jacket.

"Not now Lu…" the blond, Sabo, told Luffy before looking around with wide eyes "Guys… Where are we…?"

After hearing their brothers question, both Ace and Luffy looked around. Almost immediately they realized they weren't in their tree house or at Dadan's home. It didn't even look like a building anywhere on their island. The boys knew they weren't anywhere near home. As soon as they figured it out, Sabo stepped in front of Luffy and Ace looked for something he could use as a weapon, finding a loose pipe nearby and pointing it at Law and Jinbei.

"Where are we? What do you want with us?!" Ace shouted angrily.

"I want you off my ship!" Law shouted angrily, before thinking.

"Law!" Jinbei shouted as a warning. "Ignore him. I am Jinbei. He is Trafalgar Law, the man who has been taking care of you three."

"What do you mean by 'taking care of'?" Sabo asked almost dangerously.

Law sighed, "The three of you have been unconscious for the past three days. Jinbei found the three of you in the forest, alone and unconscious. He was worried about you so he brought you back to me. Understood?"

"You stole us…?" Luffy asked, hiding behind Sabo more.

"No. I saved you." Jinbei corrected.

"Yeah right! We live out there you dumbasses! We don't need help!" Ace shouted.

"You could have died! You have been unconscious for _three days _you ungrateful brat! Don't you dare try to tell me to ignore a patient!" Law shouted.

"I suggest you don't fight him. He's been awake for, most likely, over three days while trying to figure out what was wrong with you." Jinbei stated calmly.

"We're awake. We're fine. Let us go back home!" Ace shouted again, a nod of agreement coming from his brothers.

"We can't do that." Jinbei said.

"And why not?" Ace questioned dangerously.

"We don't know where your home is and its more than likely not the island we found you on." Jinbei stated.

Sensing Ace's anger growing further, Sabo pushed him over to Luffy before taking the conversation into his own hands. "What do you mean by that?" he asked calmly.

"Do you know where you are, boy?" Law asked, attempting to calm himself.

"Dawn Island in the East Blue." Sabo stated.

"Wrong. You're on the Grand Line. More precisely, you are on the maiden's island, Amazon Lily." Law said.

"W-what…?" Sabo stuttered, completely shocked.

"We found you two in the forest with him." Jinbei said at first pointing to Ace and Sabo then to Luffy.

"But I want to know one thing." Law said after quietly walking over to a distracted Luffy, causing the boy to jump. "How did you get so small, Mugiwara?"

"Get away from him!" Ace shouted before attempting to hit Law with the pipe only for the so-called 'weapon' to be caught by the man.

"Not until I get answers. One minute I see you, an injured 17 year-old, going on a rampage after remembering his brothers death, then the next I see you, a healthy seven year-old, with these two, being carried back by Jinbei. Explain." Law said bluntly.

"Brothers… death…?" Luffy questioned, completely frozen in fear.

"Don't listen to him Lu. He's just trying to mess with us." Ace told Luffy, trying his hardest to comfort his little brother.

"The death of Portgas D. Ace. From what I heard, he died in your arms." Law stated.

"Ace… died…? In my arms…?" Luffy questioned slowly and under his breath before looking at his hands, eyes wide in shock and horror.

"That's a lie! I'm still alive! I'm right here Lu. Don't listen to him Lu. He's just trying to scare you." Ace said before hugging his little brother.

"Why would you say that?! He's just a kid! He doesn't need those kinds of thoughts!" Sabo shouted.

"Ace… I don't want you to die… Please don't…" Luffy muttered into Ace's chest, body still frozen and eyes still wide.

"Come on Lu. You know I'm too strong. I'm not dying anytime soon. You know I can't leave you or Sabo." Ace said quietly to the youngest boy in the room.

Without a word, Luffy had snapped out of his trance and had hugged Ace.

"Get out." Sabo said calmly and quietly to the two grown men while watching his brothers.

"What?" Jinbei asked, having not heard the boy.

"Get out! Leave! I don't want you here if you're just going to terrify our brother!" Sabo shouted while looking at Jinbei and Law, eyes filled with anger.

"Who do you think you're talking to!? This is _my _ship you brat!" Law shouted.

"GET OUT!" Ace and Sabo shouted in unison, causing Luffy to jump at the sudden volume.

After a few moments of Ace and Sabo glaring at the doctor, Law had reluctantly given up and left the room, followed by Jinbei.

"Luffy… Are you okay?" Sabo asked slowly and calmly.

"He's shaking pretty bad… What they said really got to him…" Ace said quietly.

"Luffy…?" Sabo questioned his little brother as he stepped closer to him.

Sabo put his hand on Luffy's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the boy but was shocked. Shaking was an understatement. Sabo was positive that if Ace let go of the boy, then he would have fallen to the ground. Sabo didn't know what to do, and by the look in Ace's eyes, neither did he.

"Ace… Sabo…" Luffy whispered "Please don't leave me… I don't want to be alone ever again… Please don't die…!"

"Luffy… We won't die. You know we have to protect you. We aren't going to leave you anytime soon. I promise." Sabo said, joining the hug.

"Don't worry Lu. We'll always be here for you." Ace added.

"Promise…?" Luffy asked quietly.

"Promise." Ace said with a soft smile.

Luffy looked up to his brothers, slightly calmer than before and with not as wide of eyes, and slowly nodded before letting go of his brothers and attempting one of his famous smiles causing Ace and Sabo to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Did you just try to smile?" Sabo asked.

"Y-yeah…" Luffy said with a light blush of embarrassment.

Ace chuckled. "No matter what's happening, you can always make others smile... I'll never understand you Lu."

"What?" Luffy asked, his head tilted in confusion.

"Nothing." Ace said before ruffling Luffy's hair.

"Sabo?" Luffy asked in hope of an explanation.

"If Ace won't explain it, then I won't." Sabo chuckled.

"No fair…" Luffy pouted. "Is it because you're older? 'Cause I'm not a kid you know."

"You're still seven Luffy. You _are _a kid." Ace stated.

"I'm only three years younger!" Luffy shouted.

"You're still a kid." Sabo said with a smirk.

"No I'm not!" Luffy shouted.

"Yes you are!" Ace shouted back.

"If I'm a kid then you are too!" Luffy shouted only to get punched in the head. "Ow! Ace!"

"Don't call me a kid! And don't argue with your big brother!" Ace shouted.

"At least you two are back to normal." Sabo muttered under his breath.

"What?" Ace and Luffy asked in unison.

"Nothing." Sabo chuckled.

Ace sighed. "Whatever. Now back to the current issue. I'm pretty sure they were lying about where we are. But we can't be sure. Let's get out of here and check for ourselves."

"Wow Ace. That actually sounded smart. Are you okay?" Sabo teased.

"Shut it." Ace said before walking over to the door.

Sabo and Luffy walked over to the door just in time for Ace to open it enough for him to see outside the room and down the hall. Ace took a moment before looking back to his brothers and motioning for them to grab a weapon.

A few seconds later, all three brothers had a pipe in their hands and were standing at the door, ready to jump out and fight the guards. As soon as Ace opened the door all the way, the boys jumped out of the room and made their escape, taking down whoever got in their way.

After a few minutes – and a few dead ends – the boys finally got outside the ship and onto land. The boys stood at the edge of the forest and stared out in wonder, fear, and curiosity. The trees seemed bigger, making the forest thicker. The mountains were weirder looking and the main mountain seemed to have snake heads coming out. From what they could see, there was no wall, no Goa Kingdom, no Gray Terminal, no Foosha Village, and no Mt. Colubo. They weren't anywhere near home.

"Ace… Sabo… Where are we…?" Luffy asked slowly.

"Maybe… Maybe what they said was true… Maybe we are in the Grand Line…" Sabo said slowly, still trying to process what was around.

"Then tell me how we got here, Sabo. We were hunting just yesterday, had alligator meat for dinner last night, and then went to sleep in our tree house. Nobody knew about that place except for us, Dadan, and the bandits. How and why would someone look for us and bring us to the Grand Line? And how would we have gotten to the Grand Line in such little time?" Ace questioned.

"I don't know… Maybe… Something happened and they actually did save us…?" Sabo asked, more to himself than anyone.

"Then why don't we remember it?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know but…" Sabo said.

"I know what you're about to say and no. We aren't asking them. I don't trust them. They lied and said things that I'm sure only a crazy man would say." Ace argued.

"But remember what the blue guy, Jinbei I think, said? Law, or whatever his name was, hadn't slept for days because he wanted to help us. Maybe he said those things because he was sleep deprived." Sabo stated.

"What's sleep deprived mean?" Luffy asked, only to be ignored.

"Did you see Jibby's face? He agreed with Low! He acted like it was all true! They're liars and I won't go back to anyone who says those kinds of things! Especially when those lies are about us." Ace shouted.

Sabo sighed. "You're right… Let's just stay in the forest for now and if anything happens that we can't handle then we'll look for them. Agreed?"

"I already said we aren't-"

"Agreed?" Sabo asked forcefully, cutting off Ace.

"Fine." Ace said reluctantly after a few moments of careful thought.

"So does that mean we're making a new tree house?" Luffy asked.

"If that's what you wanna do then that's what we'll do. Come on. There's bound to be some scrap around here, at the very least a good place to stay until it's done." Sabo said with a smile before heading towards the forest with Luffy following soon after.

Ace watched his brothers head towards the forest in front of them before looking back at the ship and glaring at it. '_I hope we never have to come back to that thing._' Ace thought to himself.

"Ace! Come on! You're gonna be left behind!" Sabo shouted back to his brother, gaining Ace's attention.

"Yeah! Come on slow poke!" Luffy shouted before sticking his tongue out.

"Say that again Lu! See what happens!" Ace shouted before running after his brothers.

When Sabo and Luffy saw Ace running after them, they felt as though their lives were already in danger. The two boys ran as fast as they could, avoiding as many trees as possible. After a while the boys stopped running, due to sheer exhaustion.

When the boys finally caught their breath, they looked around them. They had stopped in the middle of a clearing. There was broken trees, a rock wall, and just enough light that slipped past the still standing trees. With a little improvising and some creativity, it would be the perfect base.

"We found it. We found our new home." The three boys said together, large grins growing on their faces.

This was going to be fun.

**(And that's that! Thanks to those of you who faved and followed. I love you all! Also thanks to those of you who reviewed.**

**aslMeno: I know right! I hope this chapter was to your liking.**

**bloodytears87: Simple review. I like it. I also like your name lol**

**Keewy: I continued. You like?**

**MegDBrew: That fast enough for you?**

**jam klaoo: Thanks for the love. This chap at least half as good as you hoped?**

**Guest: Don't read my mind before I put up the second chapter! God! Spoilers! XD But yeah I actually am planning something like that for next chapter. By the way, it's a lot easier than you would think to make an account and it's worth it *wink wink***

**Hopefully that was good enough for everyone. Sorry it was shorter but oh well. Technically you're lucky. I only had about half of this planned so instead of the 2,820 words this is, it would have been around 1,000 maybe 1,500. *insert end of the world music here* But just so you guys know, I have a strict policy of 'no chapters under a thousand words'. The only exceptions being updates or if halfway through the chapter an emergency breaks out and I can't continue. But now I'm starting to think about changing that to 'nothing under two thousand'… Hm… Well while I think about that how about you guys fave, follow, and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Time started: 5:30 P.M.**

**End time: 12:07 A.M.**


	3. Strawhats and Brats

Chapter 3: Strawhats and Brats

**(Hey Guyz~! Damn… I'm updating a lot… There must be something wrong with me. So I forgot to say last chapter that having Ace call Jinbei Jibby and Law Low was not a spelling mistake. I just see Ace as kinda stupid, especially when pissed. Also, so you guys know, I'm going to be out of town and away from internet for about a week, don't know when though *can't remember shit*. I just know I'm leaving sometime this week. I'm going to try and write some chapters but they won't be uploaded when done. Sorry about that. How about I get on to the chapter? On to the crap!)**

It had been almost a week since the boys had disappeared. During the first three days, anyone who was able to move was sent to look for the boys. Anyone who didn't come back was believed to have been taken care of by Boa Hancock. After about fifteen men had disappeared, Law stopped the search. He didn't want to lose all of his men because of some brats.

Two days after the search was stopped, a news coo had flown by the island and dropped off the paper. When Law had read it, something inside him told him it was his issue. Law was extremely annoyed, causing him to sigh and catch Jinbei's attention.

"What's wrong?" Jinbei asked.

"_Strawhat Luffy. Dead or alive?_" Law read aloud. "_After his disappearance following the war of Marineford and death of one Portgas D. Ace, Strawhat Luffy has yet to make an appearance or show any signs of him being alive. According to what many marines say, Strawhat was injured horribly and it is highly doubtful he is still living. Many marines also believe, due to the shock of losing his so-called brother, Strawhat has given up the will to continue pirating and maybe even the will to live._"

"Why would they consider that?" Jinbei asked.

"Because as soon as he was considered healed, he went and turned into a child before he could make an appearance to prove he's alive." Law said, annoyance growing with each word.

"Do you think his crew is worried about him?" Bepo asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"I believe so." Jinbei said. "But how do we tell them he's alive? And a child for that matter?"

"Bepo. Gather up a few of the crew and go to Sabaody Archipelago. Bring Mugiwara's crew back with you. They should be able to find him." Law said.

"Yes sir!" Bepo said before doing as he was told.

"How do you intend to explain this to them?" Jinbei asked.

"I don't. They can come up with their own explanation. I just want them to get those brats so I'm not expected to watch over them." Law said.

"So you're worried about them and you want help finding them?" Jinbei questioned.

"Hell no! I just know as a fact that if someone doesn't watch over them then I'm expected to and I don't want anything to do with those brats!" Law shouted.

* * *

After about a week of sailing, Bepo arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. It took about an hour for him and the few he brought along to find the Thousand Sunny in Grove 41.

"Oi! Mugiwara crew!" Bepo shouted at the ship in hopes of the crew being on it.

For a few moments, there was no answer causing Bepo to believe they weren't there. As soon as Bepo turned to leave and look somewhere else, he heard a voice.

"Whoa! It's a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit!" a high-pitch voice shouted from the ship.

"Seriously? Where? Whoa! It's true!" a deeper voice shouted.

Bepo turned around and looked towards the voices and screamed when he saw Chopper. "A raccoon-dog!" he shouted.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shouted back. "Why is that so hard to figure out…?" he muttered to himself.

"Oi. You're on Mugiwara's crew right long-nose?" Bepo asked.

"Yes. And my name isn't long-nose!" Usopp shouted

"Whatever. Is everyone there?" Bepo asked.

"Why do you care, shitty bear?" Sanji asked.

"Just answer the question!" Bepo shouted, getting annoyed.

"Everyone is here except for Capitan-san, Bear-san." Robin said calmly. "May I ask why?"

"I know where Mugiwara is." Bepo stated.

"You know where Luffy is!?" Most the crew shouted.

"Well… For the most part. I know what island he's on but I don't know where on the island he is…" Bepo explained.

"Hurry up and get on. You're leading us to that island _now_!" Nami commanded.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Bepo stuttered before jumping on the ship shortly followed by his crew members.

* * *

During the week Bepo was on the Thousand Sunny, he wouldn't answer any questions about Luffy. The Strawhats were getting annoyed with him and even threatened to throw him overboard. Bepo knew they needed him to guide them to their captain so the threats were just that and nothing more. Merely empty threats.

Finally they had arrived. "Where are we?" Usopp asked.

"The Maiden's Island, Amazon Lily." Bepo said.

"Maiden's" Sanji started.

"Island?" Brook finished.

"Paradise!" Sanji and Brook shouted before jumping off the ship.

"Come to me my beauties~!" Sanji sang with hearts for eyes as he ran into the forest.

"Wait! Come back!" Bepo shouted.

"Too late… He's a lost cause." Nami sighed.

"He will be if any of the Kuja find him." Bepo said in a panic.

"You mean the Kuja Pirates? Lead by the Shichibukai, Boa Hancock!?" Nami and Usopp shouted in fear.

Bepo's only reply was a nod.

"Sanji! Come back!" Nami shouted out to the forest.

"Yes Nami-swan~!" Sanji shouted as he appeared out of the trees.

Bepo sighed. "Follow me. My captain might be able to explain a few things." Bepo said before jumping off the ship and onto land shortly followed by the others.

After a few short minutes, the Strawhat crew was standing in Law's office. The crew had been hoping the man in front of them could tell them where their captain was.

Law sighed. "Bepo. Why are they on my ship?"

"You said to bring them here so I did." Bepo stated.

"I meant to the island! Not my ship! I don't want these idiots on my ship! I want them to take their brat and leave!" Law shouted.

"May I ask where captain-san is?" Robin questioned.

"You can ask all you want but you won't get a real answer." Law said.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked almost dangerously.

"He was injured. I healed him the best I could. He went on a rampage after he woke up and when we finally found him he was a kid and unconscious. We brought him back, he was unconscious for about three days. When he and the other brats finally woke up, they didn't have any memory about what had happened. Shortly after, they ran away into the forest." Law explained.

"'Other brats'?" Franky asked.

"Yeah. Two kids that looked a few years older than him. When the three woke up they called each other brothers. I think they said their names were Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, Luffy being the smallest." Law explained.

"Ace…?" Nami asked, shocked. "What did he look like…?"

"Short, black hair, freckles. Anger issues, brother complex, over protective. The usual brotherly brat." Law described.

"He looked like a ten year-old version of Fire Fist." Jinbei stated, letting his presence be known.

"But… Ace died…" Nami said under her breath, trying to figure it out.

"What about the other one? You said they called him brother right?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah. Called him Sabo, I think. Why?" Law asked.

"Luffy only had one brother. He only had Ace, right? So what's with this other kid? And if what you say is true then Ace is alive again. But how?" Sanji pieced together.

"I don't know. I don't care. If you want to know then go look for them yourselves." Law said.

"Did you even try to look for them?" Nami questioned angrily. "Because it sounds like you just let them run away and you just didn't give a damn!"

"We searched for days nonstop. We never found a sign of them." Jinbei explained.

"Instead of finding three brats, we lost fifteen of my crew." Law said with annoyance.

"How long ago did they disappear?" Zoro asked.

"Almost a month ago." Law stated.

"A month ago!? They could be anywhere now!" Usopp shouted.

"Then we better start looking." Sanji said as he turned around and started heading off the ship followed by the others.

Once they stepped foot on the island, they started looking. North, south, east, and west. They searched every inch of the forest for hours and didn't find a trace. They were starting to lose hope. Eventually they got to a clearing where they had agreed to take a break.

"Ah~ I'm exhausted!" Usopp said as he fell onto his back.

"Me too…" Chopper said as he collapsed next to Usopp.

"Hey guys?" Usopp asked when he opened his eyes.

"What is it Usopp?" Zoro and Sanji said in unison before glaring at each other.

"Did we ever look up?" Usopp asked causing the two men to stop glaring.

"Up?" Sanji asked while looking in said direction, eyes widening.

After seeing Sanji's eyes – or eye – widen, everyone looked up and were equally as shocked. Above them was a massive tree house connecting to most of the trees within the area and the wall. Looking close enough, they could see a window with three small heads looking out. One of them had messy black hair and freckles, another wore a black top hat on top of barely visible curly blond hair, and the last had a scar under his left eye and messy black hair that stuck out from under a very familiar straw hat.

"Luffy!" the crew shouted in excitement causing said boy to jump in fear.

"We've been looking all over for you! Are you alright?" Nami shouted to the boy.

"How do you know our brother!?" The other two boys shouted from the window.

"Who are you?" Zoro questioned.

"Why do you care?!" The two boys asked.

"Don't know." Zoro said bluntly. "Just felt like asking."

"Come down here, shitty brats!" Sanji yelled.

"No!" The boys yelled.

"We just want to talk!" Nami shouted.

"If you want to talk so bad then talk from there!" The boys commanded.

"Sanji." Nami said.

"Yes Nami-swan~?" Sanji sang.

"Get them down here." Nami commanded.

Before anything else could be said, Sanji was jumping off the trees, rising towards the tree house. Within a matter of seconds, Sanji was at the tree house. As soon as Sanji got to the door, he was met by three pipes. One to the stomach, one to the knees, and one to the head causing the man to fall out of the doorway and to the ground.

"Couldn't grab a few kids? That's just sad, dartboard brow." Zoro said.

"What did you say you damn marimo!? I dare you to try and grab them!" Sanji shouted as he got back to his feet.

"Consider it done." Zoro said before pulling out his swords.

"Do _not _cut down the trees! Remember there's still a Shichibukai on the island!" Nami shouted.

"Fine…" Zoro muttered before sheathing his swords.

"Che… Shitty swordsman…" Sanji muttered.

"What did you say dumbass cook?" Zoro questioned.

"Shut up and get those boys already!" Nami shouted.

"Che." Zoro sounded before climbing up the trees and to the boys.

As soon as the swordsman got to the door, he was met with the same attack as Sanji. But the attack ended differently. As soon as Zoro was about to be hit, he unsheathed his swords and blocked the pipes, cutting all three in half. Zoro sheathed his swords again and looked at his attackers, noticing the two older boys were standing in front of the smallest as if trying to protect him.

"You're smaller than I thought you were. What are you? Ten?" Zoro questioned only to get no reply. "Hey. Answer me this, did you three really beat up the guy that just came in here?"

The two older boys looked at each other before looking back to Zoro and nodding slightly.

"Impressive." Zoro said as he sat down with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"What do you want with us?" The boy with the top hat asked.

"We just wanted to talk." Zoro said calmly.

"Talk about what?" The freckled boy asked.

"We were looking for our captain when we heard he was out here. We wanted to know if you knew anything." Zoro explained.

"So… Does that mean you're a pirate?" the smallest boy asked with some excitement.

"Luffy!" The two older boys asked before hitting their younger brother's head.

"Yeah. I'm a pirate." Zoro said.

"Don't tell him that!" The two older boys shouted.

"Cool!" The smallest boy, Luffy, shouted with stars in his eyes.

"It really is. If you come down, we'll let you look at our ship. Maybe even join us if you want." Zoro said.

"Only if I get to be the captain." Luffy said.

"Luffy!" the two older boys punched the youngest again "Don't go saying things like that!"

"But this is our chance! We can go out to sea like we always wanted! Ace, you can make your name known! Sabo, you can write your book! And maybe the three of us could be the captain together!" Luffy explained.

"I don't know about the last part but I think my crew would consider it." Zoro stated. "You two seem smarter than our last captain and you're probably half his age."

"How old was your captain?" Top-hat boy asked.

"About 17." Zoro said.

"And you think two ten year-olds and a seven-year old would be better captains?" The freckled boy asked.

"Yeah. Our captain was probably as serious as a seven year-old. Maybe worse." Zoro said.

"That's just sad…" Top-hat boy said before thinking for a few moments. "We'll think about it, but how about you tell us who you are first?"

"Roronoa Zoro. Ex-Pirate Hunter and First-mate to the Strawhat Pirates." Zoro said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Luffy!" The youngest said, proving everyone's guess to be true.

"My name's Sabo." Top-hat boy said.

The third boy just stood there with his arms crossed, not saying a word.

Sabo sighed. "His name is Ace. He doesn't trust anyone accept me and Luffy."

"We already have something in common than, kid." Zoro said to Ace.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Ace asked.

"I don't trust anyone unless I know they trust me with their life." Zoro said. "Believe me. That usually takes a while."

"Then why are you speaking so freely with us?" Sabo asked.

Zoro shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe because of my captain."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ace questioned.

"Anyone my captain trusts, I trust and Luffy is a lot like my captain, from what I've seen. If the kid trusts you then I do too." Zoro stated.

"I don't get it." Luffy said with his head tilted to the side.

"Of course you don't Lu." Sabo said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it Lu. This guy's crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent by those other guys." Ace said.

"If you come down with me then I'm sure the rest of my crew could explain it to you." Zoro said.

"Okay!" Luffy shouted with one of his famous grins followed by one of his unique laughs.

"Alright. Only because I somewhat understand you though." Sabo said with a smile.

"Fine. But only because I have to watch over them." Ace sighed.

"Good. Let's go." Zoro said before standing up and jumping out of the door.

"He's crazy." Ace muttered.

"Yeah but you should know by now that everyone we meet is crazy. That's why we like them." Sabo said before following after Zoro.

"Ace? Why don't you like him?" Luffy asked.

"There's just something about him… I think he's hiding something from us." Ace said.

"Then why not just ask him?" Luffy questioned.

Ace sighed. "You're too innocent Lu. Come on. Let's get this over with." Ace said as he walked over to the door.

"Okay!" Luffy said excitedly as he followed Ace. Both boys jumped out the door together and landed perfectly next to Sabo and Zoro before looking at the small campfire surrounded by seven other people.

"You're just in time. We were about to eat." Nami said with a smile.

"What are you eating?" Sabo asked.

"Takoyaki." Sanji said with a smile, ignoring the fact that he was beat by kids.

"Takoyaki? Blegh!" Luffy sounded.

"You don't like it?" Usopp asked, very confused.

"None of us do actually. Makino tried to make it once but she messed up and it didn't taste all that good." Sabo explained.

"Don't remind me…" Ace and Luffy said in unison before sticking their tongues out.

"You should try it! Sanji can make _anything _taste good!" Usopp said.

"Yeah!" Chopper commented.

"At least try a piece. If you don't like it then I'm sure one of these other idiots would be happy to have it." Sanji said.

The three boys stood there, thinking for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Why not?"

"Good. It'll be done in a few minutes." Sanji said before going back to cooking.

"Oi. Did you three bros build that?" Franky asked, pointing up to the tree house.

"Yeah. Why?" Sabo asked.

"You mind if I get a closer look at it later?" Franky questioned.

"Why do you care?" Ace asked with annoyance.

"It looks pretty cool. And the fact that three kids built it is even more amazing. I just want to see how you did it." Franky explained.

"Oh! Me too!" Usopp said.

"Alright. I'll give you a tour later." Sabo said bluntly.

"May I ask your names?" Robin questioned.

"Of course. My name is Sabo." Sabo said as he took off his top hat and bowed.

"Oh! I'm Luffy!" Luffy called out with a large grin.

"Ace…" Ace muttered under his breath while looking away.

"Ace? Why is your face turning pink?" Luffy asked, his head tilted as he leaned forward to see his brothers face better.

"It's not pink!" Ace shouted, covering his face.

"Nope. It's red." Sabo teased. "Are you blushing Ace?"

"Shut up!" Ace said before punching both brothers.

"Ow! Ace! That hurt's you know!" Sabo and Luffy shouted while holding the new bumps on their heads.

"Yohohohoho! What brotherly bonds! I've never seen brothers so close!" Brook stated.

"Whoa! A talking skeleton!" Luffy shouted in excitement.

"Hello Luffy-san." Brook said.

"Hi! How are you talking? Can you poop?" Luffy asked.

"Yohohohoho! I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi which allowed me to come back to life." Brook said before taking a sip of tea. "And yes I can."

"Cool! So you're like me?" Luffy asked.

"What do you mean?" Brook asked.

"Luffy don't!" Ace and Sabo yelled only to fall on deaf ears.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi!" Luffy said before stretching his cheek. "I'm a rubber man!"

As soon as Luffy let go of his cheek, he was hit in the head by Ace and Sabo.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?" Luffy whined.

"We told you not to tell!" Ace and Sabo shouted.

"You did?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion only to be hit again by Ace. "Ow!"

"If I may ask, how does Ace hurt you?" Chopper questioned. "If you're made of rubber then you shouldn't be injured as easily, correct?"

"Ace is really strong. But how did you know that?" Luffy asked.

"I've heard about that fruit. It's really interesting." Chopper said.

"You think so?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Chopper said.

"Too bad it's useless." Ace said before grabbing Luffy's cheek. "All he can do is stretch. I don't know how you could fight like that."

"Rubber isn't useless!" Luffy shouted.

"Lu's right. It's useful when you're bored." Sabo said with a smirk while pulling Luffy's other cheek.

"Let go of my face!" Luffy shouted.

"Alright." Ace and Sabo said in unison before letting go of Luffy's cheeks at the same time causing the small boy to fall and the two to laugh.

"I think rubber is pretty useful." Nami said after walking over to the boy's, picking Luffy up, and sitting on a nearby log with the small boy in her lap. "You never know. Being able to stretch means you can hit someone far away, right?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said with a grin. "You're nice pretty lady. Nicer than Ace and Sabo at least."

Nami smiled. "Well I'm glad you think that."

Usopp leaned over to Chopper and whispered, "Why is she so nice? It's kinda scary…"

"I don't know… Maybe she's sick?" Chopper questioned curiously.

"Chopper. Usopp." Nami said with a smile.

"Y-yes?" Said boys stuttered in fear.

"I can hear you." Nami said.

"Y-yes ma'am." Chopper and Usopp stuttered in fear.

"Nami-swan~ Are those shitty bastards annoying you?" Sanji sang before handing Nami her plate and Luffy's.

"Not at all." Nami said, silently telling Sanji the opposite, causing both boys to lose half their food.

"No fair…" Chopper and Usopp pouted after finding out they had less than everyone else.

"Here you go." Sanji said as he handed Ace and Sabo their own plates. "Tell me what you think."

Ace and Sabo looked at each other almost worriedly before picking up the small skewer, stabbing a piece, and putting it in their mouths. Not even ten seconds later, the boys, including Luffy, were frozen in place with wide eyes.

"Luffy?" Nami questioned after noticing his sudden halt of movement. "What do you think?"

There was a few seconds of dead silence as everyone waited for any of the three boys to move.

"Did it… kill them?" Sanji questioned.

"I don't… think so…" Nami said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it did. You're food isn't the best." Zoro said before taking another bite.

"If you don't like it, then don't eat it!" Sanji shouted.

"Amazing!" Ace, Sabo, and Luffy shouted.

"You like it?" Nami asked again.

"Yeah! It's way better than Makino's!" Luffy said before eating more.

"Glad to hear that. If you want any more, I have some extra." Sanji said before lighting a fresh cigarette.

Within a matter of seconds, all three boys were standing next to Sanji with empty plates and full mouths asking for more the best they could.

"Swallow first!" Sanji shouted.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy did as told and swallowed the last of it before shouting, "More!"

Sanji sighed. "Still a black hole even as a kid, huh?" Sanji whispered to himself while putting more on the boys plates.

"Did you say something?" Sabo asked.

"Don't worry about it." Sanji said. "Try not to eat too fast. I don't want any of you choking."

"Okay." Ace, Sabo, and Luffy said before sitting on the same log as Nami but with Luffy sitting in her lap again.

"Sorry about him." Sabo said to Nami. "He just really likes being near people."

"Why's that?" Nami asked.

"I didn't have a lot of friends and the friends I did have were always gone. Plus Gramps was never around so I didn't really have family." Luffy said before eating another piece.

"What?" Nami asked, slightly shocked.

"In other words, he was lonely." Ace said bluntly.

Luffy nodded. "But then I met Ace and I was happy! I had a friend now! Then I met Sabo and we all became friends and then brothers!" Luffy said with his usual grin, only with more happiness.

"So you aren't related?" Brook asked.

"Just because we aren't related, doesn't mean we aren't brothers! Understood?!" Ace shouted defensively.

"I get it. That's kinda like us. We aren't related but we still act like a family." Chopper said with a smile.

"Oh yeah." Usopp said before leaning over to Chopper and asking, "So 'little brother', wanna give me some of your food?"

"No way!" Chopper shouted, pulling his plate away from his so-called 'brother'.

Suddenly everyone, except the three brothers, broke into laughter. They really did act like family, didn't they? How did it take them so long to figure it out?

After a few more minutes, everyone was done eating and were just talking. Sabo had guided Franky and Usopp through the tree house – after Usopp accidently activated one of the many traps causing him to be sent flying at least 50 feet into the forest. Ace had been poking at the fire before Zoro walked over and the two started talking about weapons. Left with nothing to do Brook had started playing some songs while Sanji was trying to clean the few dishes they had before putting them in his bag. At some point, Robin had started reading a book while Chopper collected some herbs from around the area.

Everyone was busy except for Luffy and Nami.

"Pretty lady?" Luffy questioned, hoping to get Nami's attention.

"Yes?" Nami asked.

"Are they always like this?" Luffy asked.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked, turning Luffy so it was easier for them to look at each other.

"Are they always happy like this?" Luffy asked after a few moments of thinking. "'Cause they look really happy and it looks like their having fun. Is it always like this?"

Nami smiled. "We get annoyed with each other sometimes but we're usually like this. Every day is a new adventure for us. When we start to get too annoyed with each other, an island usually comes into view so it gives everyone a chance to calm down or let out whatever energy we have."

"Really? That sounds fun." Luffy said before looking around at everyone. "Zero said we could join you guys if we wanted but I don't know if Ace and Sabo want to."

Nami couldn't help but giggle at the nickname Luffy had given Zoro. "Well the offer is always there in case they decide to join. But what do you think Luffy?"

"I wanna be a pirate but… The Pirate King is supposed to be the captain and I don't think I could be the captain when I'm younger than all of you." Luffy explained.

"You want to be the Pirate King?" Nami asked. '_So he's had this dream for a while now… I wonder how long._' She thought to herself.

"Yeah. I made a promise to Shanks that I would be a great pirate and he gave me this hat to borrow until my dream came true!" Luffy said with excitement.

Nami was shocked. She knew the hat was Luffy's treasure but she didn't remember him explaining _why _it was so important. But what shocked her the most was the fact that it wasn't as fresh a promise as she had thought. Nami had believed Luffy had gotten his treasure only a year or two prior to him setting off but he was ten years younger and still had the hat and remembered it perfectly. How old _was _his promise? And how old was the boy when he ate his devil fruit?

There were so many questions flying through Nami's head in that single moment. But the one that stood out the most was simple and complicated at the same time. How much did the crew _really _know about their captain?

"Pretty lady? Are you okay?" Luffy's innocent voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." Nami said with a smile.

"Then why are you faking a smile?" Luffy asked.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked.

"I do that same smile when I don't want Ace and Sabo to worry about me." Luffy said before looking around and whispering, "I do it more than I would like but so far Ace and Sabo can't tell. Promise me you won't tell them okay?"

"O-okay…" Nami stuttered.

Did Luffy still show a fake smile around them? How often did he lie just so they would feel safe? Nami had to admit Luffy was more confusing then she would have ever thought. But one thing was made clear by this.

Luffy was a better captain then any of them gave him credit for.

**(And I'm done! This chapter took the longest to make and is probably the longest chapter I've ever written! *checks* Seriously!? How the hell did I write 5,834 words!? 5,100 is hard enough! *thinks* Well shit now I'm making it a goal to write a chapter about 6,000 words long. Don't be surprised if that happens tomorrow ;) Tell me what you guys think. Longer chapters? Shorter chapters? Keep them somewhere around this length? You tell me! Anyways, I know I made Luffy seem smarter than usual but if you pay attention enough you notice he isn't a **_**complete **_**idiot and that he has his moments. The part where Luffy says he fakes a smile I thought would be good drama. That's all. Also, seeing as how they're still kids, I'm looking for ideas for nick names for the Strawhat crew. I already know Zoro would be Zero and Sanji would probably be Sandi but I don't know any others. If you have suggestions then please tell me. Hope to hear from you amazing peoples soon! Fave, follow, and review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Time start: Noon-ish**

**Time finished: 2:00 a.m. (I blame A.D.D. and the great movies on F.X.)**


	4. That Night

Chapter 4: That Night

**(Hey Guyz~! So at the moment it looks like I won't be able to even write a chapter during my week away from internet. My tablet got stupid and deleted Microsoft Word on it's own and won't let me download any other typing app. So at the moment I'm using Google Drive. If anyone has a Windows Surface - the tablet - mind helping me out and telling me if there's a free typing program? It would really help a lot! Also, I'm not sure I said this before but the timeline the boys think they're in is a little before the storm that practically destroyed their tree house. So Sabo wasn't taken by his father, no fire, nothing bad has happened to them yet except for Luffy being tortured by Porchemi. Other than that they have almost no bad memories with each other. Also, since this is before the timeskip, Sunny still has the paddles in the Channel 0's and Channel 4 is going to be empty. I have an idea for that. I hope you guys liked Striker by the way. I know I loved it. On to the crap!)**

For about an hour, the Strawhats and brothers sat around their little campfire, talking about anything and everything. Within that time, everyone had heard about how the boys had beat the Tiger Lord and how they decided to live on their own in the forest. Most of the Strawhats were surprised that such young kids were this strong and were already living on their own.

"You said you built the whole tree house by yourselves right?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Yeah. Why?" Sabo asked.

"How did you do it?" Usopp asked. "I don't get how some kids could make something like that by themselves."

"Because of my family, I had to study a lot. Eventually I got bored with everything they were teaching me so I started learning architecture. It was easier than I thought it would be." Sabo said with a smile.

"Because of your family?" Robin asked calmly. "What do you mean by that?"

Ace and Luffy looked at each other, almost worried. It was Sabo's biggest secret. Was he really about to let these strangers know?

"My parents were scholars on our island. They always wanted me to follow in their footsteps but I didn't want to. After a while, I just ran away." Sabo said.

"That doesn't make sense. You sound like you enjoy learning but you didn't want to be a scholar?" Chopper questioned.

"It's not like that. I liked learning some things but then they started pushing me too hard, complained about the smallest things, fought for no real reason, and just didn't care about me. I figured, if being a scholar made someone like them, then I wouldn't be one." Sabo explained.

"Not all scholars are bad. Robin's a scholar and she's really nice." Nami said.

Robin giggled before placing the bookmarker in her book. "Thank you for the complement, navigator-san." Robin said.

"You're a scholar?" Sabo asked.

"Yes, I am." Robin said with her usual smile.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to say anything bad about you miss." Sabo said with an apologetic bow.

"No need to worry dear." Robin said. "If what you say is true, then I believe you would like our ship. Sunny is a truly unique ship."

"Speaking of Sunny, how about the three of you look around our ship and stay with us for the night?" Nami asked.

The three brothers looked at each other for a few moments before Sabo and Luffy settled on looking at Ace. Nami already knew Ace wasn't very trusting and after hearing some of the stories and reading the news about Fire Fists father, she knew why.

"Okay. But only for tonight." Ace finally said.

"Yes!" Sabo and Luffy yelled in excitement.

"Super!" Franky shouted as he jumped into his usual pose.

Luffy laughed. "You're weird star-guy!"

"'Star-guy'? My name's Franky, bro! Don't forget that because if you do I might have to use my powers." Franky joked as he walked over to Luffy.

"Powers? What kind of powers?" Luffy asked.

"Robot powers. I'm a cyborg." Franky said with a smirk.

"Cyborg?" Luffy questioned.

"It means he's half human, half robot, Lu." Sabo said.

"Really? Cool! Can you still poop?" Luffy asked.

"Why do you always ask that, Lu?" Ace questioned.

"I just wanna know." Luffy stated.

"What part of you is human?" Sabo asked Franky.

"My entire front half is made of steel while my entire back half is still human." Franky explained.

"Cool! Can I see?" Luffy asked.

"Sure." Franky said before taking off the glove on his right hand, showing it was made of steel.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted. "You're amazing star-guy!"

Franky sighed while putting the glove back on. "My name's Franky."

"Don't try. As soon as Luffy comes up with a nickname for someone, he won't call them anything else. Unless its a serious matter. Then I think he might call them by their real name." Sabo said, muttering the last part almost as if it was a joke.

"Ready to go?" Nami asked the brothers.

"Where?" Luffy asked.

"The ship. Where else?" Nami said with a smile.

"Yay!" Luffy cheered.

"Let's go!" the three boys said in unison.

Nami laughed. "Alright. We're heading back to the ship everyone." Nami called out to the crew.

"Wait Nami-swan~! I'll come with you~!" Sanji sang.

"Sandi's funny!" Luffy said before laughing.

"'Sandi'?" Sanji questioned.

Luffy nodded. "Pretty lady said your name was Sandi."

"His name is San_ji_, Luffy." Nami tried to explain.

"No! His name is Sandi!" Luffy stated, matter of factly.

Sanji chuckled. "Alright. You can call me that if you want, Luffy."

"Yay!" Luffy shouted before grabbing Sanji's hand as well as Nami's. "Let's go!"

"Alright alright." Sanji said with a smile.

"Come on Ace! Sabo! You're gonna be left behind!" Luffy stated.

"Yeah right!" Both boys shouted before running up to Luffy.

"Are you coming Robin?" Nami asked.

"Of course." Robin stated before grabbing her book, standing up, and following the group.

"Hurry up you shitty bastards!" Sanji yelled to the rest of the crew before they stood up and started walking with the group.

"Shut up curly brow!" Zoro shouted.

"What did you say marimo!?" Sanji shouted.

Luffy laughed. "Sandi and Zero are funny!"

"'Zero'?" Sanji and Zoro said in unison.

"Yeah. Zero." Luffy said, pointing to Zoro.

There was a few moments of dead silence before everyone, except Luffy,Ace, and Zoro, started laughing. After a while, Luffy started to laugh as well. Eventually Zoro's eye started twitching and he started walking away.

"Hey _Zero_! You're going the wrong way!" Sanji shouted before laughing again.

"Shut up dumbass cook!" Zoro shouted before turning in the right direction and walking away.

"Hey Luffy. Do you have a nickname for everyone?" Nami asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Yup." Luffy said with a nod.

"Like what?" Usopp asked.

Luffy pointed to Usopp and said, "Long-nose!"

"Not surprised…" Usopp said with a sigh.

"What about me?" Chopper asked.

"Deer!" Luffy said with a smile.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shouted.

Luffy pouted before muttering, "Same thing…Both are still snacks… Sandi! Can we have deer for dinner?"

Ace and Sabo licked their lips. "We haven't had deer meat in a while. I almost can't remember what it tastes like." both boys said in unison.

Chopper screamed in fear. "Don't eat me!" he shouted before running towards the ship.

"Were you seriously considering eating him?" Sanji asked.

"Yes." The three boys said bluntly.

"You can't eat Chopper." Usopp said.

"Why not?" The three boys asked in unison.

"Because Chopper's our friend and the doctor on our ship." Nami said.

"Really!? The deer is a doctor!?" The boys questioned.

"Reindeer and yes he is." Robin stated.

"Didn't see that coming…" Ace muttered.

"Yeah…" Sabo muttered.

"He's actually a great doctor. He saved my life." Nami said.

"Really?" Luffy said.

"Yeah. He's helped all of us more than once. If it weren't for Chopper then we probably wouldn't be here." Nami explained.

Luffy just stared at Nami with slightly wide eyes before looking at the ground.

For the next thirty minutes, everyone was just talking about whatever. Everyone except Luffy, that is. Every once in a while, someone would look at the boy, but no matter when you looked at him, he didn't seem to look up. Everyone was worried about him but chose not to show it. The Luffy they all knew and loved was always hyper and almost always talking, so him being quiet and almost serious was worrying.

"We're here." Nami said to Luffy, hoping to get reaction.

The small boy looked up at Nami and smiled before running up to the Thousand Sunny, stretching his arms to the railing, and flying up to the deck.

"Since when could he stretch that far?" Ace whispered to Sabo.

"He's stretched farther when we fought the Tiger Lord." Sabo informed.

"Yeah but _we_ stretched him then. I mean, since when could he stretch that far _on his own_?" Ace said.

"Don't know." Sabo said.

"Want some help getting up?" Sanji asked.

"No thanks. Luffy!" Ace and Sabo called in unison.

Moments later, a rubber arm was lowered and both boys grabbed on before the arm was raised, lifting both boys up.

"That works." Sanji said before picking up Nami and Robin then jumping on deck.

After a few moments, everyone was on deck. The first thing everyone saw was a curious ten year-old, an excited ten year-old, and a seven year-old, almost pouting. All three looking around curiously.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked, gaining Ace and Sabo's attention.

"Where's the doctor?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Why? Are you sick? Do you feel alright?" Ace and Sabo questioned with worry.

"I'm fine. I just want to talk to him." Luffy stated.

"He's usually in the infirmary." Nami stated.

"Can you take me to him?" Luffy asked.

"Sure." Nami said before walking towards the infirmary with Luffy right behind her.

"What's wrong with him?" Ace questioned.

"Maybe he's finally growing up." Sabo said.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other for a few moments before finally agreeing, "Nah."

* * *

Nami lead Luffy up the stairs, through the dining hall, and to the infirmary before knocking on the door. "Chopper? Are you in there?" Nami called.

"Yeah. Come in." Chopper called from the other side of the door.

Nami leaned down to Luffy and said, "Go ahead."

Luffy nodded before slowly opening the door and stepping in.

"Luffy? What are you doing here? Are you sick?" Chopper asked, worried.

"No. I'm fine. I just…" Luffy said, voice fading off.

"Just what?" Chopper asked, telling the boy to continue.

"I heard you were the doctor and that you saved everyone a few times. I wanted to say… Sorry for trying to eat you and thanks…" Luffy said, staring at the ground while playing with a piece of his shirt.

Chopper smiled before jumping off his chair and walking over to Luffy. "It's my job to help people, especially my friends. Don't worry about wanting to eat me either. Our captain did the same thing, only worse, when we met."

"Really?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Yup. When I met him, he was one of my patients, along with Nami and Sanji. When the captain and Sanji woke up, captain was just trying to catch me while Sanji just kept thinking about how to cook me." Chopper explained with a smile, remembering it like it happened just yesterday.

"You keep calling him 'the captain'. Zero calls him captain also, but I haven't heard anyone say his name. Also, when you first saw me, Ace, and Sabo, all of you said my name but I've never met any of you. What's your captain's name and how did you know my name?" Luffy asked, fear hiding deep in his eyes.

Chopper's smile nearly fell from his face. "Our captain's name was Luffy. He always wore a straw hat like yours, so when we saw your hat we thought you were him. Sorry for the confusion." Chopper said.

"Oh." Luffy said. "It's okay."

Chopper smiled again. "How about we join the others and let you and your brothers look around the ship?"

"Okay!" Luffy cheered. "Wanna race?"

"Sure. Just don't break anything." Chopper said with a smirk.

"No promises." Luffy said with a grin.

"Ready…" Chopper and Luffy said in unison.

"Set…" Both boys got into a stance, ready to run.

"GO!" The boys shouted before taking off.

* * *

As soon as Nami started walking down the stairs, she saw a group of curious pirates and two slightly worried brothers. Once everyone noticed her, she smiled, attempting to cheer them up.

"Where's Luffy?" Ace asked.

"Still talking to Chopper." Nami said.

"Why? Did you hear what they were talking about?" Sabo asked.

"No. I figured if Luffy doesn't want to tell us, then I shouldn't listen in." Nami stated.

"I guess you're right…" Sabo stated, still slightly worried.

"I'm sure he's fine. He didn't look sick." Nami said.

"It actually looked like he was thinking." Usopp stated, causing the brothers to freeze.

"Luffy? Thinking?" Ace and Sabo questioned in unison.

"Do you think…?" Ace started, turning to Sabo.

"It can't be…" Sabo said turning to Ace, shocked.

"You're right. It's not possible. Especially for Luffy of all people." Ace said.

"Maybe… Maybe it is. Luffy _is_ pretty strange…" Sabo stated.

"Does he even know what it is?" Ace asked.

"I don't think so…" Sabo said.

"What are you two talking about?" Usopp asked, confused.

"Luffy might be growing up!" Ace and Sabo shouted as if it was the end of the world.

"Yeah… He's a human being. It has to happen eventually." Sanji said.

"No! You don't know Luffy! Growing up means serious, Luffy growing up means he'll be more serious, Serious Luffy could mean the end of the world!" Ace and Sabo shouted.

After a few seconds of thinking, the pirates all remembered how terrifying their captain was when serious, causing them to be almost scared. What if Luffy was always serious? All the pirates felt a chill run down their backs at the thought of how huge their bounties would be but also how many people would have been dead because of it.

Within a matter of seconds everyone heard two high pitch voices scream "GO!" before the sound of doors slamming open and chairs falling.

"Nevermind." Ace and Sabo said.

As soon as the boys said that, the door to the kitchen flung open with Luffy and Chopper running out, the two small boys were running, obviously racing, and tied. Once the boys got to the deck, they tried to stop but only fell onto their faces.

Luffy was the first to jump up and shout, "I win!"

"Yeah right! I won!" Chopper said after standing up.

"Nu-uh! I did!" Luffy shouted before sticking his tongue out.

"Not! I did!" Chopper shouted before mirroring Luffy.

"What are you two fighting over?" Ace asked.

"We were racing! Whoever got here first was the winner! I got here first right?" Luffy and Chopper shouted in unison.

"Luffy got here first. Only by an inch though." Sabo stated.

"No fair! You're just saying that because he's your brother!" Chopper said. "Come on guys! I won right?"

"Sabo is correct. Luffy stepped foot on deck first, only by a second or so." Robin stated, everyone on the ship nodded except for Chopper and Luffy.

Luffy grinned. "Told you!"

"Fine…" Chopper said with a pout.

"You three still want to look around?"Usopp asked.

"Yes!" The Sabo and Luffy shouted with excitement.

Ace merely nodded.

"Where do you want to start? Top or bottom?" Usopp asked.

"How about best for last?" Sabo asked.

"Super!" Franky shouted. "I like you, bro! Follow me!"

"Pretty lady? Are you coming?" Luffy asked.

"Sure." Nami said.

"What about you Sandi?" Luffy asked.

"Sorry, brat. I have to start cooking." Sanji said before heading towards the kitchen.

"Chopper?" Luffy asked, head tilted.

Chopper was confused as to how Luffy knew his name. He didn't remember saying his name. He didn't care though. Chopper just smiled before saying, "I can't. I have to check over my supplies."

"Aw… Okay. Book lady?" Luffy asked.

Robin smiled. Apparently that was her nickname. "Sure."

"Yay! What about you Zero?" Luffy asked.

Zoro's eye twitched when he heard Sanji chuckle from the stairs. "No thanks, brat." Zoro said before climbing up the mast to the crow's nest.

Luffy pouted. "Bone-guy?"

Brook laughed. "If you would like."

"Yay!" Luffy cheered.

Before long, the group had started their tour. First they went to the Living Quarters. Second was the Kitchen - where they stopped for a few minutes so the boys could see Sanji cooking. Then the Observation Room. After that they went to the Aquarium Bar. Last they went to Franky's and Usopp's workshops.

"It's pretty cool but is there anything better?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah it seems pretty boring if you ask me." Ace said.

"Who said that was all?" Franky asked with a smirk.

"There's more?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. Do you remember the numbers on the sides of the ship?" Usopp questioned.

"Yeah. Why?" Sabo commented after a moment of thought.

"That's part of the Soldier Dock System." Usopp said with a smirk.

"The Soldier what?" Ace asked.

"Soldier Dock System. It's my pride and joy." Franky said with a smile.

"When do we get to see it?" Luffy asked.

"We're on our way right now." Franky said.

"Really? Is it big?" Luffy asked.

"It takes up almost the entire bottom of the ship." Franky informed.

"Really?! It's that big?" Sabo asked with excitement.

"Yup. You'll see real soon." Franky said.

Not even a minute later, the group got to a door that Franky was blocking. Franky looked at the kids. Apparently what he said about it got them pretty excited. From what he knew, Ace was either curious, shocked, angry, or calm. If those were the only emotions the boy had, then Franky was seeing a miracle. Even Ace was getting a little excited, even though he was trying to hide it.

"Ready?" Franky asked the boys.

"Yes!" The Sabo and Luffy shouted, Ace shrugging instead of speaking.

"Alright." Franky chuckled before opening the door behind him and moving out of the way.

Sabo and Luffy ran into the room excitedly, while Ace just walked in, and looked around. After a few moments the boys excitement fell. They didn't understand what was so cool about the place. It looked like a bunch of random rooms.

"What is this?" Sabo asked, slightly disappointed.

"The Soldier Dock System." Franky said with a smirk.

"What's so cool about it?" Ace asked, his expression back to a mixture of calm and annoyed.

"Pick a number, bros." Franky said.

"Three." Ace said with boredom.

"One." Sabo said calmly.

"Hm… Two." Luffy said after a moment of thought.

"We'll go in that order. Three first." Franky said before walking over to Channel 3.

As soon as Franky opened the door, the boys curiosity was struck. The three boys ran to the channel and stared at the blue, ship that looked like a shark. After that, the boys noticed the water and figured out why it had the word 'dock' in its name.

"Shark Submerge 3." Franky said. "Seats three people and can go up to 5,000 meters under water. Usually for scouting."

"Cool!" Luffy and Sabo shouted.

Ace didn't say anything. He just merely smirked at how excited his brothers were.

Franky walked over to Channel 1 and opened the door for the boys. "What do you think?"

"What is that?" Ace questioned. "It looks like an ugly horse."

"Shiro Mokuba 1." Franky stated. "Seats one person."

"It looks weird…" Luffy said.

"I still don't like it, Franky." Nami stated.

"What do you mean?" Sabo asked Nami.

"It's a Waver from the sky island, Skypiea. We found it a while back and once Franky saw it, he decided to turn it into _that_." Nami explained.

"So it's yours?" Luffy asked.

"Yup." Nami commented.

"Can I ride it later? It looks fast." Luffy asked.

"Maybe later." Nami said with a smile.

"Okay!" Luffy said with one of his famous grins followed by his unique laugh.

"Hey Lu. You said two, right?" Sabo asked.

"Yup." Luffy nodded.

"Okay." Franky said before going to the second channel.

"This one's my favorite." Usopp said with a smile.

"Why?" The three boys and Brook asked.

"Because it was modeled after our last ship one of my close friends let us have." Usopp explained.

"What happened to it? Your last ship I mean." Sabo asked.

"Our adventures were too tough on her. She could no longer sail. She even broke in half on our last trip with her." Usopp said with a sad smile.

"You really liked the ship, didn't you?" Luffy asked, almost serious.

"Yeah. Like I said, my friend gave us that ship. Merry was good to us. Any other ship probably would have been completely destroyed a lot earlier. Merry had a spirit. She wasn't just our ship. She was one of our nakama." Usopp explained.

Luffy looked amazed. Slowly his features calmed and he was just smiling as if remembering an old friend. After a few moments Luffy lowered his head so that the brim of his hat was covering his eyes.

"Merry…" Luffy muttered. "That name… It's nice…"

"Lu?" Ace and Sabo questioned.

"Hm?" Luffy sounded as he looked at his brothers with innocent eyes.

"You okay?" Ace asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Luffy asked.

"You were serious for a moment there. That's not like you… Are you sure you're alright?" Sabo said.

"I'm fine." Luffy said.

"If you say so." Sabo said worriedly.

A sound from above gained everyone's attention. When they all looked up, everyone saw an open hatch then saw Chopper show his head through it.

"Hi Chopper!" Luffy shouted, waving with a grin on his face.

"Hi Luffy! Sanji wanted me to get you guys. He says dinner will be done soon." Chopper called down.

"Okay! We're almost done." Nami called up. "Can you tell Sanji to make Robin and I some tea, please?"

"Okay." Chopper said before moving his head and closing the hatch.

"You boys still want to see Channel 2?" Franky asked.

"Sure." Ace and Sabo said.

Luffy only nodded.

"Alright." Franky opened the door before saying, "Mini Merry 2. It can hold up to four people and is usually used for shopping purposes."

"A sheep head?" Ace questioned.

"Yup. Going Merry had a sheep figurehead and since everyone liked the ship so much, I gave this one the same figurehead." Franky explained.

"Cool." Sabo said. "What do you think, Lu?"

Luffy was staring at the figurehead.

"Luffy? Earth to Luffy!" Sabo shouted while waving his hand in front of the youngers face.

"Can I sit on it?" Luffy asked, not taking his eyes off the figurehead.

"Why?" Sabo asked.

"I just wanna." Luffy said, still staring at the sheep head.

"Maybe later, Lu." Sabo said. "But right now we have to go eat."

"Okay!" Luffy cheered, finally taking his eyes off of the sheep face and looking at his brother.

"Come on." Ace said as he passed by his brothers, playfully punching Luffy's arm.

All throughout dinner, the boys didn't say a word. They were too busy eating. They were so busy eating that the boys actually forgot how to breathe at one point. When the boys caught their breath again, everyone started laughing while they just continued to eat.

Once dinner was done, the boys were lead to the men's quarters where they were told they could use the captains bunk. Once they were alone in the room Ace and Sabo turned on Luffy, scaring the boy.

"Okay. What's up with you Luffy? First you get all friendly with these guys, when you know nothing about them and they somehow know you. Then you start getting serious, call someone you don't know by their name, and then you start spacing out. What's going on?" Ace questioned.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luffy said nervously.

Sabo sighed. "Come on, Lu. You know you can trust us. Just tell us the truth."

"I am! I don't know what you're talking about!" Luffy said, slight fear showing in his eyes.

"Did you at least ask how they knew your name?" Ace asked.

"Yeah. Chopper said their captain has a hat a lot like mine and his name is Luffy too! He said they all thought I was their captain." Luffy said.

"I knew it. They are with that crazy guy." Ace said.

"What do you mean?" Sabo questioned.

"That mad man was talking to Lu like they knew each other, but not under the best circumstances. From what he said, it sounded like Lu had been older and was now a kid and now it sounds like these guys are saying the same. They're all insane." Ace said.

"I guess it really was a good thing I lied to them about my past. You didn't tell them anything important, right Lu?" Sabo asked.

Luffy shook his head. "I don't think so. I just said the same as what you guys said."

"Good." Ace said.

"So, Ace, what's the plan?" Sabo asked.

"Easy. When they all go to sleep, we get out of here. If we have to, we'll fight, but only if they attack us or try to stop us from leaving." Ace said.

"Sounds good to me." Sabo said.

"Yeah." Luffy said with nod.

"Hey, Lu?" Ace said with a small smile.

"Yeah?" Luffy asked curiously.

"You did good. Because of you, we know most of their weaknesses and who to avoid in a fight." Ace said, ruffling Luffy's hair.

Luffy smiled before putting his hat on and laughing.

Tonight is the night they escape. Escape all the mad men looking for them and even the island if needed.

**(God damn A.D.D.! For those of you that don't know, A.D.D. is Attention Deficit Disorder which pretty much means I can't pay attention for long. Which sucks when there's a TV in the room I'm writing in. Then when the TV turns off, I need sound to think so YouTube is turned on. Imagine how that turns out. Now you know why it takes me over 12 hours to write these! By the way, if there's any spelling errors that I didn't fix, it's because my tablet is being stupid! Onto a somewhat different subject, I'm leaving to go to a desert in 12 hours and will be there for five days! Yay~! Please tell me an app that lets me write these chapters without need for internet before then! I really want to keep writing but I can't do that when I have no internet. Please hurry~! Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Fave, follow, and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Time started: 2:30 p.m.**

**Time stopped: 3:17 a.m.**


	5. Nightmare

Chapter 5: Nightmare

**(Hey Guyz~! I'm officially happy! I go to download OpenOffice and when I check if it's there, word was back! Yay~! I know that's almost nothing to you guys but hey. Word being back means I can update! By the way, Google Drive sucks when it comes to writing chapters. It's fun when you wanna chat with a friend, maybe role-play *wink wink*, but other than that it sucks. On a different note. I made a poll on my page for who you think the boys should run into next. I tried to put up somewhat of a variety but it's hard! I couldn't think of anything other than pirates and marines! But there's a total of 11 choices so hopefully you amazing people will vote. For those of you who don't want Luffy to gain a few memories, I'm sorry. I just **_**have to**_** make this! But trust me, Luffy's just gonna attempt to forget it. I'm in the mood for drama. Gomen! Reading O.P. fanfics about Ace being missing for nine years then finding Luffy, figuring out they were in love with each other, and then Ace getting stabbed through the chest with a poison sword to save Luffy kinda does that… Abandoned and Lost (AceLu version or brotherly version) is sad but really good… Only sucky part about it is the fact that roo17 stopped updating after saying there was only one chapter left and not saying if Ace lived or not… Sorry for the spoilers for those of you wanting to read it. Please don't hate me. Anyways… On to the crap!)**

The Strawhat pirates had been sitting in the kitchen for an hour doing nothing but thinking. They were happy earlier. Just laughing all their troubles away. After the boys had left, the crew was just talking about whatever. Eventually they started talking about their captain and started to slowly get more and more depressed. Their captain, their best friend, their _brother_ was a seven year-old child with no memory of them. That small reminder had broken all of them, some more than others.

They had been acting calm and happy the entire time. In reality, the Strawhats were sad and worried about Luffy. '_What had happened to him?_' seemed to be one of the only clear thoughts on everyone's mind. What happened? What caused it? How did it happen? What, or who, caused it? Why would someone turn him into a child? Why did that kid look so much like Fire Fist and have the same name? Who was Sabo? Why did Ace and Luffy call him a brother? Why hadn't they known about Sabo if they really were brothers? All these questions and more raced through their minds at an incredible speed. They wanted to ask but they knew there would be no answers.

After a while, Nami had small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Just the thought of Luffy forgetting all his friends and family, all their adventures, and everything they went through for each other made her tear up without her knowing. If Sanji hadn't walked over and gave her a tissue to wipe her tears away, she would have never known.

Everyone was depressed. What could they do now that their captain was a child with no memory?

* * *

_Luffy looked around curiously. How did he get to Goa Kingdoms docks? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep next to Ace and Sabo on that pirate ship. Was it just a daydream? Part of Luffy was sad at the thought of it being a dream, but he didn't know why. It's not like he knew them and if Ace was right, like he usually was, then those people were crazy and would hurt them. But for some reason, he knew they wouldn't hurt him or his brothers._

_All this thinking was starting to hurt his head. He'd have to try and remember not to think as much. Or maybe more often… Maybe thinking more often would stop hurting. Ugh! He was doing it again! Stupid thinking! Why did it have to hurt so much?_

"_Look! It's the Celestial Dragon!" someone yelled, pulling Luffy out of his thoughts._

"_A what?" Luffy questioned as he looked at the person who had yelled._

_It was a girl, probably around sixteen. She had dark brown hair with light brown highlights taking over almost the entire top layer of her hair which fell to her shoulders and framed her face. The dark color of her hair allowed her bright blue eyes to stand out. Luffy had to admit, the girl was kind of pretty._

"_A Celestial Dragon." The girl said with a sweet smile and calm voice with traces of excitement. "Celestial Dragons hold the most power in the world. Nobody can touch them. Even the marines. It's an honor to have one visit our island."_

"_Really? They're that strong?" Luffy asked with wide eyes._

"_I wouldn't say they were strong. More like powerful." The girl stated._

"_What do you mean? Aren't those the same thing?" Luffy asked, his head tilted in confusion along with a small pout._

_The girl like out a small giggle at Luffy's confused expression. "Sometimes they are, but not in this case. They hold power due to their royal bloodlines. Most of them don't believe they need strength, the power that comes from their title is enough. In their minds, they're gods and many others believe it as well. I'll admit they're powerful, but I wouldn't say their gods." The girl explained._

"_Amelia!" a woman that looked like an older version of the girl shouted before slapping the girl. "Watch your mouth! What would happen if the Celestial Dragon heard you!?"_

"_Sorry mother." The girl, Amelia, apologized with her head down._

"_Hm. If you ever say that around the Celestial Dragon, then I want you to know, your father and I won't save you." The woman said before walking away. _

"_What was that about?" Luffy asked, anger obvious in his tone and eyes._

"_Don't worry about it." The girl smiled. "I'm Amelia. What's your name?"_

"_I'm Luffy!" he said with a smile._

"_It's nice to meet you, Luffy. Where's your family?" Amelia asked._

"_I don't know. I don't even remember how I got here." Luffy stated._

"_Then you should stay by me until we find them." Amelia said. "I don't want you to get lost and I'm sure they wouldn't want you to get in trouble."_

"_Okay!" Luffy said with a smile._

"_Hey what's that boat doing out there?" a woman shouted while pointing to a small fishing boat on the water._

"_Stop that kid! He stole my boat!" a man shouted as he ran towards the docks._

"_A kid?" Amelia questioned._

_Not even a minute later, Luffy was running to the edge of the docks so he could see what was happening. What he saw shocked him. The small boat was heading towards a massive, well decorated ship. Luffy was relieved when he saw the small boat move out of the way of the large ship. After a few moments of watching the boat, Luffy finally saw who was controlling it._

"_Sabo! Where are you going!? You said you would leave when you were seventeen! Why are you leaving now!?" Luffy shouted only to get no reply. "Sabo! Come back! At least say something!"_

_What Luffy saw next, terrified him. The small boat had been fired at by the large ship. The Celestial Dragon just fired on a child. The man just shot at his brother! Luffy wanted to shout out for help, to tell the man to leave his brother alone, to do something! But he couldn't find his voice._

_All of a sudden, the small boat seemed to get larger, almost as if he was looking through a telescope. Luffy saw Sabo using his jacket in an attempt to put out the fire in hopes to save the boat and escape. What he saw next terrified him more than before. Luffy saw his brothers eyes widen in shock and fear as he looked up and saw the Celestial Dragon shoot at him again. This time the man wasn't aiming for the boat. He was aiming for Sabo._

"_SABO!" Luffy shouted in horror as the small boat blew up and into pieces, the flag burning, and his brothers hat flying off and into the water._

_Luffy was ready to jump into the water and save his brother. He didn't care if he couldn't swim, he had to try! He couldn't live without his brothers! He wouldn't let either of them get hurt let alone die! Just before he jumped in, someone had grabbed him._

"_Let me go! I need to save my brother!" Luffy shouted._

"_Stop it Luffy. If you get in the way of that man, he'll kill you too." Amelia said, not letting go of the small boy._

"_No! I have to save him! He's my brother! I won't let him die! He needs me!" Luffy shouted, still struggling to get free._

"_You can't help him if you die too! I'm sure he'd rather have you alive and safe!" Amelia said._

_After a few minutes, the large ship had made it to the docks and everyone had cleared a path for the Celestial Dragon. Everyone was on hands and knees in respect for the man. Everyone except Luffy. He was standing in the middle of the path and in front of the Celestial Dragon._

"_Move brat." One of the guards commanded._

_Luffy didn't move. Luffy didn't speak. All the boy did was stare at the ground with his hat covering his eyes and his hands balled into fists, shaking slightly. If you could see his eyes, you would have seen the absolute rage in them._

"_I said move!" the guard yelled again, pulling out his gun._

_Again. Luffy didn't move or speak. The only sign the boy was alive was the slight shaking and small movements of his chest._

"_Move!" the guard shouted again before shooting the small boy._

_Many people watched. Most with smirks, others with fear and worry in their eyes. But almost everyone had resorted to shock when the bullet had hit the boy. There wasn't any blood. Only a bullet trying to pierce a rubber body, forcing the skin to move back. Elasticity coming into play and sending the bullet back to the man that held the gun and shot at the boy. The bullet the man sent out had returned and launched straight through his heart, killing the man instantly._

"_A Devil Fruit user? I didn't expect to see one in the East Blue of all places." The Celestial Dragon said. "Now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind a new slave. I've heard from others that a good time to get a slave is when they're young. That way they grow knowing how to respect others and don't fight back."_

"_I'll take him back to the ship then, sir." A guard voiced._

"_Good." The Celestial Dragon said as he started walking towards the kingdom. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Make sure to put the cuffs on him."_

"_Yes sir." The guard said before walking over to Luffy and grabbing him._

"_Luffy…" Amelia whispered with worry._

"_Did you say something girl?" the guard questioned._

_Amelia didn't say anything. She just merely looked away._

"_I was talking to you girl!" the guard yelled as he grabbed Amelia's hair and pulled on it, forcing her to look at him._

"_Leave her alone!" Luffy shouted before biting the guard and taking out a good chunk of flesh._

"_You stupid brat!" the guard yelled as he fell to his knees, cradling his wounded arm._

_Luffy just ignored the man as he turned to the Celestial Dragon. "Hey fatass!" Luffy shouted._

_The Celestial Dragon froze and turned to Luffy. "Who are you talking to boy?"_

"_I'm talking to you, you fatass son of a bitch!" Luffy shouted, fury dripping off each word._

"_How dare you speak to me in such a way! Do you not know who I am!? I am Saint Jalmack! So don't you dare defy me, peasant!" The Celestial Dragon, Jalmack, announced._

"_I don't give a damn who you are! I just want to know one thing! Were you the one who shot at that boat!?" Luffy shouted as he pointed at the sinking wreckage._

"_Why do you care-" _

"_DID YOU DO IT!?" Luffy shouted again, interrupting Jalmack._

"_Yes, I did. Why do you care?" Jalmack questioned, annoyance growing by the second._

_Luffy flinched and muttered something, his hat covering his eyes again._

"_Speak up boy." Jalmack commanded._

"_THE BOY ON THE BOAT WAS MY BROTHER YOU BASTARD!" Luffy shouted before throwing a punch at the Saint, his fist hitting the dome around Jalmack's head shattering it into a million tiny pieces and hitting the man in the face, most likely breaking his nose._

"_You brat!" the guard shouted as he raised his sword and started to bring it down on Luffy._

"_Luffy!" Amelia shouted as she ran to save Luffy._

_As soon as Luffy turned around, his eyes were forced shut as he felt a warm liquid hit his face. After a few moments he opened his eyes again. In front of him he saw the dead body of Amelia laying in a pool of her own blood, a large gash on her neck and chest._

_As soon as Luffy fell to his knees there was a bright flash. The quiet, non-existent sounds quickly turned into the sounds of war. The bright light fading and being replaced by the sight of a collapsed older version of Ace. Quickly he felt a pang in his heart._

_Where was he? Why was Ace older? Why was Ace injured? Why couldn't he move? Who were the people that were calling for Ace to run?_

"_LUFFY!" Ace shouted in fear._

_Luffy quickly snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the fear and worry in his brothers voice. Ace never openly showed his worry or any emotion like it. So why now?_

_Luffy's answer came quickly. As soon as he looked up he saw a fist made of magma coming towards his head. He tried to run, but couldn't. He couldn't even move! He could barely feel anything! _

_The next thing he knew, Ace was standing in front of him with a fist of magma protruding from his stomach. After a few moments the fist was pulled out and Ace fell into his arms. Ace's blood pouring onto him. Everything around him and Ace fading into darkness, leaving the two alone._

"_Luffy…" Ace muttered with a weak breath._

"_Y-yes?" Luffy stuttered, he couldn't believe this was happening._

"_Why…? Why did you have to be so weak…?" Ace asked._

"_W-what?" Luffy asked shocked._

_Suddenly, Luffy felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down just as Ace started to move away from him. Luffy's eyes widened when he saw a dagger stabbing him, Ace's hand on the handle._

"_A-Ace…?" Luffy questioned in fear._

"_You're weak. You always have been and always will be. That's why Sabo died. That's why I'm dying. I regret giving my life to save you, I regret having you as my brother, and most of all, I regret ever meeting you."_

"_You're a demon Luffy. How could you let us die? I thought we promised to be brothers. Don't brothers look out for each other? Protect each other?" A voice said from next to Luffy._

_Luffy turned his head and saw Sabo, completely covered in burns. Luffy started shaking from both fear and blood loss. This couldn't be happening. His brothers were right next to him. They weren't dead! They weren't dying! They were alive and right next to him!_

"_No… This isn't real! Please tell me this is a dream! You two are still alive! You have to be! You promised me! You said we were brothers and we'd never leave each other! You both promised to always be there for me and I promised to be there for you! We don't break promises!" Luffy shouted with tears in his eyes._

"_Then why did you let me die?" Sabo asked as he stepped closer, pieces of charred clothing falling off and revealing more burns._

"_Why Lu? It's like you said. We promised to be there for each other." Ace questioned, the hole in his chest still dripping more blood as he stood up._

"_Why did you leave us?" Ace and Sabo asked angrily._

"_I… I didn't! Why would I!? You're my brothers! I couldn't leave you even _if _I wanted to!" Luffy shouted._

"_What are you saying Lu?" Ace asked as he grabbed Luffy by the neck and lifted him a foot off the ground. "You thought about it? You've wanted to leave us?"_

"_We cared about you Lu. Why would you want to leave us?" Sabo asked as a pipe covered in spikes appeared in his hand._

_Luffy wanted to say they were wrong. He wanted to say he'd never even thought about it. But he couldn't. Ace's grip on his throat was too strong and it stopped his speech and most of his air._

"_We trusted you Luffy!" Ace and Sabo yelled as Ace's grip tightened and Sabo's pole was about to hit him._

"_LUFFY! WAKE UP!" Two high pitch voices shouted from the sky._

* * *

Luffy's eyes shot open as he shot up in his bed, his head hitting something hard. Luffy clutched his head, his eyes squeezed shut. As soon as his eyes closed, he saw the hole in Ace's chest and all the burns on Sabo's body, forcing him to open his eyes again. His breathing grew faster and faster until he felt someone hug him causing him to freeze completely.

"Lu… Calm down…" Sabo whispered in Luffy's ear.

"You're safe. You don't need to freak out about anything." Ace whispered, rubbing his forehead.

Luffy gulped before nodding slowly and looking at his brothers. Instantly he saw Ace with a hole in his chest and when he tried to look away, he saw Sabo covered in burns. Instantly his eyes widened and he started shaking even more.

"Lu? What's wrong?" Ace asked. He didn't care that it was probably midnight. He was too worried about his little brother.

"D-do you guys… hate me…?" Luffy asked, staring at his sweat-soaked sheets.

"What? No. Of course not. Why would we?" Sabo asked.

"I'm weak… I can't do anything right… You'll get hurt one day because of me…" Luffy muttered, tears welling up in his eyes and slowly streaming down his cheeks.

"What are you talking about? Why would you say that?" Ace asked worriedly.

"I-I had a bad dream… B-both of you died because I was too weak…! Sabo was on a boat that was burning and I couldn't get to him in time and Ace was killed taking an attack sent at me! Ace was dying in my arms before he stabbed me and started choking me before Sabo started to hit me with a spiked pipe!" Luffy said as he started sobbing.

The brothers were completely shocked. How could Luffy come up with something like that? Once Ace and Sabo had snapped out of their stupor, they saw Luffy crying his eyes out. Suddenly both boys had hugged their younger brother in an attempt to calm him down. Soon after, Luffy had wrapped his arms around the two boys and sobbed louder.

After a few minutes, Luffy had finally calmed down and was breathing at a regular pace. At some point, Luffy had ended up laying in Sabo's lap while Ace was petting his head causing him to calm down more. When Luffy had calmed down enough, the boys had stopped worrying as much. But one question ran through their minds. Why did Luffy have such a detailed nightmare of their deaths? They decided to ignore the question and just hope it didn't happen again.

Without even knowing it, Ace had started humming a song. Sabo smiled slightly before humming it as well and eventually both started singing the lyrics.

_"Ikusen mono kō sasuru michi de, bokura wa deaeta_

_Hashagi attari, fuzake attari, shita ano hi_

_Katariakashita yume no asa, ashidori mo karuku_

_Massuguna manazashi de mirai wo misueteta _

_Nani ga okotte mo tomoni arukeba_

_Nan-bai mo no yūki ga michi afure_

_Norikoe rareru, mamorarete iru_

_Aka ni somatta yūhi ni chikatta kotoba wa_

_Sepia no tsuki ni suikomarete yuku_

_Haruka musunda atsui kizuna_

_Dōka towa ni, tsudzukimasu yō ni_

_Itsumo no yō ni kawaranai machi de itsumo no egao ga_

_Hibiki attari, kasane attari, itoshī basho_

_Namida nagashita toki mo aru sonna toki kimi wa_

_Tada damatte yawarakaku soba ni ite kureta ne_

_Toki wa nagarete michi wa wakarete mo_

_Mamori tsudzukete hoshī kowasazu ni_

_Mae mo misuete furikaerazu ni_

_Akaki chishio no hate ni kono te ni tsukanda_

_Tashika na mono ga kagayaki hajimeru_

_Akiramenaide tadori tsukeru_

_Itsuka kitto meguri aerukara_"

* * *

The ship had gone into silence. No noise what so ever. The crew didn't want to talk but also couldn't sleep. So they just stayed up and laid on the lawn deck, staring at the sky.

Suddenly a high pitched scream broke the silence. It sounded like Luffy. With that thought in mind, everyone on the deck – and Sanji who was in the kitchen cleaning dishes for the sixth time that night – stood up and ran to the men's quarters where the three brothers were supposedly sleeping.

Once the whole crew got to the door, they realized there wasn't much noise in the room. After a few moments of wondering what had happened, they had opened the door just enough for everyone to see. What they saw was both sad and cute. The two ten year-olds were comforting their little brother as he cried.

It was sad to see a usually happy boy now crying as bad as he was. But the fact that two kids knew how to handle the problem and were actually fixing it, made the crew smile a little. After a few moments, the crew could hear Luffy slowly stop crying. Chopper even said he could hear Luffy's breathing settle back down, making everyone know the boy would be okay.

The crew slowly closed the door as quietly as possible, before laying back on the deck. Everyone had been gaining a new thought. This time it wasn't a question or anything they had to worry about. The thought gave them all a small smile.

'_He's happier than ever with them here._' Everyone seemed to think in unison.

After a few more minutes of just relaxing, the crew thought they heard something coming from the men's quarters. It sounded almost like singing. Unconsciously, they all walked over to the door to listen closer. At some point during the song, they had peeked in the room to see Luffy laying in Sabo's lap with Ace petting his head. The boy seemed to relax even more at the simple touch as he listened to his older brothers sing to him.

After a few moments of watching, Zoro had closed the door as quietly as possible, and stopped the crew from watching. Zoro gave a look that seemed to say '_Let them have their privacy_'. Instantly everyone understood and nodded.

That night, nobody entered the men's quarters. The men had one of two choices; sleep on deck, or find somewhere else to sleep. With that in the air, the girls went to their respective quarters. Chopper left first and slept in the Infirmary's bed. Sanji followed Chopper shortly after and stayed in his kitchen – it was a mystery as to where he slept, no matter where you looked, you couldn't find the man. Usopp was the next to leave and chose to stay in his factory. Franky left afterwards and slept in his workshop. A few moments passed before Brook decided to write a new song later and then seemingly disappeared.

Zoro waited another minute and made sure the brothers were actually asleep before he left. He slowly opened the door, leaving a big enough opening for him to see the boys. How they were laying gave him a small smile. Ace and Sabo were hugging Luffy and had the small boy in between them, even when asleep. He had to admit – never out loud though – the scene was kind of cute. Zoro started to slowly close the door again before he heard something.

"Zoro." A high pitched voice whispered, causing said man to look.

Zoro noticed Luffy's eyes were just barely open, obviously the boy was struggling to stay awake. But, even though the boy had obviously had a nightmare a few minutes before, Luffy had a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah?" Zoro whispered back.

"Good night." Luffy whispered before falling into dreamland with his brothers.

Zoro smiled again. "Good night Luffy." He said before closing the door.

Zoro stood there for a few moments, contemplating whether to sleep on deck or in the crow's nest. After a few moments of looking at the crow's nest, Zoro saw a thin arm roll out of the window. So that's where Brook disappeared to.

'_Looks like I'm sleeping on deck tonight._' Zoro thought before sitting down next to the door and falling asleep.

**(Four hours. Four hours of nothing but trying to remember most of the songs I know and trying to figure out which one would be a good lullaby! Eventually, after checking every song I have on my phone, I found 'Circle of Friends' by Tatara Totsuka/ Kaji Yuuki from the anime K. Great anime by the way. The song almost made me cry after I saw the episode about Totsuka. He was just a child stuck in a grown man's body. Kinda like Luffy. Oh and to the people who want to complain about the nightmare itself and how that isn't how Sabo "died", I know. I've watched the post-war arc twice, not counting all the ASMV's of it. It's part of I plan that I hope to remember! Also I actually planned on having the brothers run away this chapter but finally the lullabies got me, I stopped thinking, and it turned out like this. I hope it isn't as bad as I think it is… Like always, fave, follow, and review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Time start: 10:30 a.m.**

**Time finished: 2:23 a.m.**


	6. Escape and Worry

Chapter 6: Escape and Worry

**(Hey guyz~! Sorry for taking so long to update. It was my birthday and I wanted to relax but then a lot of bullshit happened. The bullshit is called school by the way. Along with being grounded for staying up too late… But hey. I'm back right? For now at least. You have One Piece episode 405 to thank for that. I have no clue why that episode made me want to update but hey I've learned to question nothing about One Piece. Thanks everyone for voting by the way. I have a basis of how it'll go down, at least somewhat. On to the crap!)**

After a short hour of sleep, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy found themselves awake again. The boys were quietly running around the men's quarters gathering what they needed. At some point, Sabo had left the ship and went back to their tree house, gathering what little belongings they had.

When Sabo got back, with a bag full of his and his brothers possessions, he found Ace and Luffy standing next to the railing, waiting for him. Sabo tossed the bag over the railing before grabbing Luffy's outstretched arm and being pulled up. Once back on the ship, Sabo ran to the wheel and looked over the details and remembering the complexity of the entire mechanism.

Silently thanking the fact that he asked Franky how the Solider Dock System worked, Sabo turned the dial in the center of the wheel until Channel Two was facing the ocean before pulling the lever. Within a matter of seconds, the Thousand Sunny was almost vibrating as the Solider Dock System spun before clicking in place.

The three small boys ran down the stairs, careful to staying quiet knowing the pirates were asleep all throughout the ship – Ace had checked where they were all sleeping when Sabo had left. Soon the boys were standing in front of the second channels gate and opening it just enough for them to slip through before closing it again, locking them in the dock-like room. After a few moments of looking through the dark room, Luffy found the switch to open the dock to the open ocean. After pulling the switch, the door opened allowing the gentle moon light to enter the room.

As soon as the moons light fell on the figure head, Luffy had frozen. The small boy had ceased all movements to stare intently at the sheep figure head. Once Ace and Sabo saw their younger brother freeze, they picked him up and put him in the front seat. A few short moments later, Ace and Sabo were done packing their items and resources into the back seat. Sabo jumped into the front seat, behind the wheel, while Ace jumped in on the opposite side, allowing Luffy to sit in between his brothers. After Sabo got the small boat started, they drove away from the larger ship.

It had been probably a half hour, maybe more, since they left and Luffy was still staring at the figure head. He hadn't said a word, no matter how much Ace or Sabo tried to talk to him. What scared the two older boys even more though, was the fact that Luffy had moved. Normally the small hyper-active child moving wasn't worrying, but this time it was. Luffy wasn't bouncing around like usual, instead he was moving slowly – almost eerily – and trying to get closer to the figure head.

After a few more minutes had passed, Luffy had made his way onto the figure head and was sitting cross-legged on it. Sabo had slowed down as soon as Luffy started heading to the figure head, so he wouldn't fall, allowing Ace to stand and get a better look at the small boy. He looked like he knew that was his spot, like he had always sat there, and was smiling with a certain fondness in his eyes. He obviously hadn't noticed Ace, seeing as how he didn't move in the slightest let alone look at the older boy.

Ace looked back to Sabo, worry in his and the other boys eyes. They had never seen the boy so quiet and unmoving for so long. It was almost terrifying. After a few more moments of their unspoken conversation, Ace turned back to Luffy.

"Oi Lu… Are you okay?" Ace questioned slowly and quietly.

Luffy jumped at the sudden sound before looking at Ace. Almost immediately, the small boy looked away towards the ocean again, with fear, pain, and worry in his eyes. As soon as he looked at Ace, he saw the grown 20 year-old with a bloody hole in his chest. It was still a terrifying image that he never wanted to see again. Instead of a verbal answer, Luffy nodded his head slowly.

The look in the small boy's eyes didn't go unnoticed. Quickly, Ace started panicking on the inside, but remained calm in his outer appearance. He needed to be strong for his littlest brother.

"Luffy… If something's bothering you, you can talk to us. You know that, right?" Ace questioned.

The only answer the ten year-old received was a small nod from the young boy. Luffy didn't even turn his head, instead he kept his eyes to the water and the back of his head to his brother. Instinctively, Ace reached forward and put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. Ace was shocked when he felt his younger brother flinch before freezing then shaking lightly. Why was Luffy so terrified of him all of a sudden?

Then it hit him. "Luffy… That nightmare is still bothering you, isn't it?" Ace asked quietly, causing Sabo to look at him with slight shock and Luffy to flinch.

Ace sighed. "It's exactly as I just said. A nightmare and nothing more. Sabo is fine. I'm fine. We're still alive and aren't dying anytime soon." Ace said with a comforting tone.

Slowly Luffy turned around and looked at Ace before his eyes shut again due to fear. After a few moments, he started forcing his eyes open again. Luffy focused on what Ace said. He was right. It was just a nightmare. He had to stop being such a cry baby and grow up.

When his eyes opened again, Luffy saw his usual ten year-old brother looking at him with worried eyes. Immediately, Luffy jumped down and hugged his older brother. Ace was a little surprised but hugged back and smiled. At least the younger was calming down.

Seeing his little brother ease up and hug the oldest of the three brothers, even smile from what he could see, made Sabo happy and smile as well.

"…Ace? Sabo?" Luffy whispered.

"What is it?" Sabo asked quietly.

"Promise me you two will never die." Luffy said quietly, his voice trembling slightly.

"I promise." Sabo said with a small smile.

"…Ace?" Luffy whispered questioningly as he looked up to the older.

"I promise." Ace said with a smirk.

There was a silent moment as Ace and Luffy sat back down on the chair. Since he didn't have to worry about the boy falling into the water anymore, Sabo sped up and kept going in whatever direction he was driving them. It didn't matter where they went as long as they weren't near any of those insane people.

-x-x-x-

It had been about a month since Ace and Oyaji had died and everyone was still upset. Most tried to hide it, others didn't do so well. The only thing that helped cheer them up was the fact that their near dead brother was still alive. Somehow Thatch had lived through Teach's attempt on his life. Although he was bed ridden the entire time, even during the war. He hated it. His brothers and sisters were dying and he wasn't allowed to leave his bed. After he heard the outcome of the war, he had locked himself in his room for a week.

Oyaji was gone. Ace was gone. His brothers and sisters were gone. And he wasn't allowed to do anything. For an entire week, the only thing Thatch could think about were 'What if's. What if he was able to fight? What if he had healed faster? What if Ace knew he was alive? What if he was able to avoid Teach's attack? What if Teach didn't betray them? What if he never found that damned Devil Fruit? There were so many questions and results that ran through his mind in that week that were still bothering him weeks later.

Thatch sighed. He really hated the night shift. It was so quiet and dark. Just like his room during that week. It gave him far too much time to think of things he didn't want to think of, let alone have answered. He closed his eyes but soon opened them again.

"Oh yeah…" Thatch whispered to himself. Every time he closed his eyes for longer than a simple blink, he would see the smiling face of either Ace, Oyaji, or his other passed siblings. It was true torture.

Thatch leaned back in the crow's nest and stared at the sky and the millions of stars but focused on a group of stars that seemed brighter than the others. He smiled slightly at the memory that came to him. A few months ago, while on a random island he didn't care to recall the name of, he had passed some people talking about the stars and passed loved ones. Apparently every star is the soul of a person who had died, but the ones that are brighter than any of the other stars are the souls of the people closest to you. The brighter the star, the more important to you they were. When a star fell, that meant the soul was being given another chance at life and were returning to Earth.

With nothing better to do, Thatch decided to try and figure out which star belong to who. When he got it right, the star seemed to twinkle a little more as if telling him he was right, causing him to smile. The one that was easiest to tell, was Oyaji. It was the biggest and brightest, only second to the moon itself. He stared at it with a small smile. He could almost see Oyaji grinning back at him. It wasn't until then that he realized how much he missed that large grin and echoing laughter.

"I'm sorry Oyaji… I can't help but feel like this was all my fault. If I hadn't found that damned fruit then none of this would have happened and you'd still be here." Thatch said quietly to the large star.

The star seemed to dull slightly as if scolding him for saying such a thing.

Thatch chuckled. He was talking to star. Maybe he had gone crazy while in that small and dark room for a week. Yet it was talking to him too and responding when he called it his father so maybe he wasn't crazy and that rumor he overheard was true.

Ignoring his thoughts of being insane, Thatch went back to naming the stars. After a few minutes, he was curious. He had given all the stars, or souls, their respective name yet there was one name left, Portgas D. Ace. Seeing as how he was this far, he might as well ask.

"Oi Oyaji." Thatch called out quietly, not wanting any of his siblings to overhear him and consider him even crazier.

The star flashed lightly, almost as if it was grinning and telling Thatch he had its full attention.

"I've named everyone correctly but there's one left. Is Ace still up there with you?" Thatch asked. From what he knew, it took a few years for a soul to come back, not a few weeks.

The star seemed to dull lightly as if saying no. For a few moments, the star stayed dull as if it was upset the boy wasn't with him any longer.

"He came back already, huh? I guess that shooting star a few weeks ago was him. It really seemed to stand out and call attention to itself. Remind you of anyone?" Thatch chuckled.

The star seemed to flash and for a second Thatch could have sworn he heard his fathers unique laughter. The small sound made the man freeze for a second before smiling more than he had in the past month. That laugh was far too familiar and seemed to take away any and all problems and difficulties that bothered you. It was Oyaji's laugh.

Thatch's thoughts were stopped when he saw the star brighten and flash more, he thought he even saw it move slightly as if trying to point something out. Thatch looked in the direction he thought Oyaji was pointing out and saw a small boat heading towards them. It was a strange boat to say the least, it looked like a boat you would use to go to land and grab whatever supplies you needed, the fact that it had what looked like a sheep figure head on it didn't help. After a moment of focusing on it, Thatch realized it was going pretty fast and headed straight for them.

Thatch picked up his mini den den mushi and called Marco up. "Hey. Wake up. There's something I think you should see."

Usually it wouldn't be that important and he could stop it on his own but he was still healing. Even if the wound was almost completely healed, he didn't want to risk it reopening and him actually dying this time.

After a few moments, Marco appeared on deck and looked to Thatch. "What is it yoi?" the phoenix questioned.

"There's a small boat heading towards us pretty fast and it doesn't look like it intends to turn anytime soon." Thatch said, his eyes never leaving the boat.

Within seconds, Marco was in his phoenix form and flying towards the small boat. He flew over it to catch a glimpse of who was driving it but was shocked to see three children fighting. One was yelling at a smaller one for some reason while the younger hid their face under a straw hat – Why did it look familiar? – then there was the third child trying to calm down the first. None of them seemed to be paying attention to where the boat was headed.

Quickly, Marco made up a plan. He dove down towards the small boat, turning into his human form a few feet above the boat and taking control, slowing it down before it came to a complete halt next to the massive ship. Once he figured it was safe, he turned to face the three children. The two older looking boys seemed to try and hide the smaller while the smaller seemed to just stare at him with pure and innocent eyes that seemed to hold more knowledge then they should. He knew those eyes and that hat, even the scar under the left eye, but where had he seen them before?

After a few moments of trying to remember who he was thinking of, Marco felt a pair of eyes glaring intensely at him. The feeling was almost nostalgic. But why? His answer came when he looked at the other raven-haired boy. He had the same freckles, the same skin tone, the same wavy black hair that always seemed to fall where it wanted, and the look in the boys eyes was exactly like back then. The boy was exactly like Ace in every sense. Even the glare and need to protect the ones he cared for. But that wasn't right. Ace died over a month ago and yet this boy looked to be around ten years old.

"Who are you?" the Ace look-a-like questioned.

He even had the same voice – except higher pitched – the same strength in his voice, and the same attitude. What was with this kid?

"Marco." He stated simply.

"How did you get here?" a boy in a top hat asked curiously yet still serious.

"You were about to ram into my ship. I'd prefer not to let you, my crew, or my ship get injured yoi." Marco explained.

"Your ship?" the top hat boy asked before looking ahead of their boat and almost sweat dropping. "How did I miss that?" the boy asked, more to himself than anyone else.

Marco, again, felt like he was being stared at, although this time it wasn't a glare and just a curious stare. Marco looked to the smaller, straw hat wearing boy who was staring at him with wide eyes filled with curiosity, excitement, and wonder. The small boy was far different from the two in front of him. While the two older boys seemed over-protective and cautious, the small boy seemed excited about everything and didn't seem to worry about a thing. Again, who was this kid reminding him of?

"How did you do that?" the small boy asked curiously.

"What are you talking about yoi?" Marco asked.

"You were flying and looked like a bird on fire except blue instead of orange. How'd you do that?" the child asked.

"I ate a Devil Fruit yoi." Marco said.

"Really? That's so cool! So did I!" the boy said before stretching his cheek further than it should. "I ate the Gum Gum Fruit! I'm a rubber man!"

Didn't Ace's kid brother eat that fruit? What was with these kids? First there's a kid that looks and acts exactly like Ace and now there's a kid that acts, looks, and has the same abilities as that Luffy kid? What in the world was happening?

"Idiot!" The two older boys shouted in unison as they punched the smaller boy in the head.

"You aren't supposed to tell other people! You don't know what they would do to you." the top hat boy said, worry evident in his tone.

"But he has a Devil Fruit too. I don't get why it has to be so much of a secret." The small boy stated.

The top hat boy sighed. "You're hopeless…"

"He's right yoi. Some people would do horrible things to you if they knew you were a Devil Fruit user. You need to be more secretive about it yoi." Marco stated.

"Why do you care?" the Ace look-a-like questioned, still glaring at Marco.

"He reminds me of someone I promised to protect. I'd, also, rather not see a child be harmed yoi." Marco said.

The smallest boy just stared at Marco before smiling a grin that seemed to split his face in half.

"I like you Pineapple!" the straw hat wearer said.

"Pineapple?" the two older boys questioned.

"Yeah. His head looks like a pineapple." The boy stated, causing the two older to look at Marco curiously.

After a few moments of focusing, the top hat wearing boy was having a hard time holding back his laughter – at least he was attempting to be polite, it wasn't working though. Marco looked at the Ace look-a-like, wondering what he would say, or do.

"You do look like a pineapple… That's stupid." The Ace look-a-like stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Marco sighed. "My name is Marco. _Marco_. Please call me by my name and nothing else."

"Why can't I call you pineapple?" the small boy asked innocently, causing the top hat wearer to let out a small, muffled laugh.

"Yeah _Pineapple_. Why can't the kid call you that?" a voice said from above, causing all four to look up only to see a grinning red-head.

"Who are you? Do you know Pineapple?" the straw hat wearer asked the red-head.

"I'm Thatch. Pineapple is my friend, practically my brother." The man, Thatch, said with a grin and slight chuckle.

"I said not to call me that yoi." Marco said with closed eyes as his eye brow twitched.

"Come on Marco!" Thatch teased. "It can't be helped. It's what you look like after all."

Marco sighed. "Just throw down the rope ladder all ready."

"Sure thing, _Pineapple_." Thatch chuckled as he walked away.

Marco nearly growled. That name was almost as annoying as the groups of pirates that thought they had a chance at beating his family in a fight. Almost. And yet, everywhere he went, someone called him by that name. As soon as Marco's internal monologue – of how annoying the nickname was – came to an end, Thatch had lowered the rope ladder right next to him.

"Climb up." Marco said.

"What?" the Ace look-a-like questioned.

"Climb up. You three are kids and need to sleep. I'm sure you would rather have a bed then try and get some sleep on a small boat that could easily be overturned yoi." Marco explained.

"He's right. I'd rather not wake up in the water." The top hat wearer said, worry obvious in his eyes but not for the thought of drowning.

The Ace look-a-like sighed in defeat. "Fine."

"Hurry up then." Thatch shouted from above.

Immediately a small hand was on the railing, causing Thatch to be confused. He looked carefully at the hand, then the arm it was connected to and to the tiny straw hat wearing boy down below. How did he-? Oh yeah. Devil Fruit. Soon he saw the two older boys grab onto the smaller boy just before they were launched into the air and onto the deck of the Moby Dick. Soon after he saw Marco fly up and gracefully land on the deck next to Thatch.

"Why did you make me bring the rope ladder if you knew they wouldn't use it?" Thatch asked, slightly annoyed.

"Didn't know yoi." Marco said before walking over to the boys.

'_Bullshit._' Thatch thought as he pulled the rope ladder back up, rolling it up as it was raised.

"Hey. We said our names, how 'bout you say yours?" Thatch commented as he pulled up the last of the ladder.

"I'm Luffy!" the straw hat wearer shouted happily.

"Sabo." The top hat wearer stated.

The Ace look-a-like didn't say a word. Instead he just crossed his arms and huffed.

"Ignore him. He doesn't get along with many people. He's our brother, Ace." Sabo stated.

"So Luffy and Ace are complete opposites while you're the midway point?" Thatch asked after putting away the rope ladder and walking over to the boys.

"Basically." Sabo stated.

"Mind if I ask how old you three are?" Thatch questioned.

"Not a problem. Ace and I are both ten years old while Luffy is seven." Sabo informed.

"You don't sound and act like a ten year-old." Thatch noted. '_And that Luffy kid… His eyes hold more knowledge then a seven year-old ever should. His eyes show more than some of the people on this ship._'

"Growing up on an island where you have to fend for yourself while living with nobody but these two and mountain bandits causes you to grow up faster than normal." Sabo explained. '_The fact that I'm a noble helps as well. But he doesn't need to know that._'

"Interesting. I'd like to hear more about this island, but let's save that for later. Follow me. I know where you can stay for the night." Thatch said. "You go to sleep Marco. You need it as well."

With that said, Marco nodded and headed back to his room. Shortly after, Thatch started heading in the opposite direction. As they started walking down a hall, the three boys noticed signs next to each door. Eventually they stopped at a door. Ace looked at the sign, attempting to read it but only catching half of what it said before Thatch flipped it over. '_Second Division Commander_' What was that supposed to mean?

"This room is currently unoccupied. The three of you can use it. If you have any questions or need any help then I'll be on deck." Thatch said.

"I have a question." Luffy said.

"And that would be?" Thatch pressed on.

"Are you the Fourth Division Commander?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Thatch questioned curiously.

Luffy pointed at a sign that was a little ways down the hall. "You said your name was Thatch and that sign says '_Fourth Division Commander Thatch_'. I wanted to make sure I got it right. If you aren't on deck, then would we be able to find you in there?"

Ace and Sabo were stunned. Something had to be wrong with their little brother if he was actually paying attention and piecing things together that fast.

Thatch nodded. "But you don't have to worry about it. I have night shift for the rest of the night so I'll be on deck or in the crows nest. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Why are there division commanders?" Luffy questioned.

What was going on? Luffy may be smart but he never shows it and he never asked decent questions. Every question he usually would ask had nothing to do with the situation and more about food or adventure. Did Luffy even know he was asking these things and did he even know he was paying attention?

"Our crew is so big it's just easier to put everyone into divisions. Also most divisions have their own jobs. Like my division. Yeah we fight but most of the fourth division is made up of chef's. Then there's also scouting parties, shipwrights, doctors, etc. Each division has their part and they accept it with pride." Thatch informed.

With that said, Luffy nodded. "One more question, if you don't mind. It's slightly more personal."

"Go ahead." Thatch said, he liked the kids curiosity.

"Why are you working the night shift when you're in so much pain?" Luffy asked, completely serious.

'_But you know what they say; Curiosity killed the cat._' Thatch thought to himself. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You're in pain. When you were leaning over the rail to talk to us and Marco, you were trying not to show it but I saw it in your eyes. Your back is wounded. An attack, right? No normal injury would cause that much pain to show in someone's eyes. Although there was another pain I saw. One you get when you lose a loved one. I've felt it twice now. I know your pain Thatch." Luffy stated, eyes focused on Thatch and holding more knowledge than before.

"O-oi Lu… Are you okay? And what do you mean you've felt his pain twice?" Sabo questioned with worry.

Luffy merely turned to face the door of the second division commanders room, opening the door slowly. Just before stepping in the room Luffy turned his head to face Thatch again.

"I've asked the same questions you have. All the 'What if's." Luffy looked at the ground, hair shadowing his eyes. "They all ended horribly. Nothing would have changed. The only way there was hope for a change, was if you went back a few years." Luffy said before walking into the room and closing the door behind him, never lifting his head.

After a few moments of shock, Ace and Sabo came out of their stupors and ran into the room to find their little brother in the bed, with his back to the door, hugging a pillow tightly. The boys stepped closer to ask their younger brother a few questions, but it was useless. The small child was fast asleep with thin streaks of tears falling down the sides of his face.

Something was happening to their little brother, and they had to find out.

**(Aaaaaaand done! That is the shortest it has taken me to write a chapter this long. That's with my dad telling me every five minutes that I need to go to bed. That started around 10:30… Oh well. I went to my room, dad went to bed, a minute later I went to the living room, grabbed my laptop, brought it to my room and continued typing. About the story, I just have to say, I'm sorry those of you who would rather have Thatch dead – you people are evil – but I like Thatch. I've read way too many fanfics with him in them and I immediately knew I liked him. I haven't even met/seen him yet! Again my knowledge of Marineford is shitty – I'm slowly getting closer to it – and I didn't know until the end of the chapter that Moby Dick was destroyed by Akainu – God damn filthy bastard scum! – but I liked the ship and decided to keep it. Sorry if I portrayed Marco wrong. Again, the only way I know somewhat of how he would act is by fanfics, but – same as Thatch – I like Marco and decided to risk it. About Luffy; what do you think is going on with him? I'd like to know what you think. Fave, follow, review, and I hope you keep reading. Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time: 7:30 p.m.**

**End time: 3:30 a.m.**


	7. Finding Out

Chapter 7: Finding Out

**(Hey guyz~! So what I did for this chapter – that I'll probably do again – was, I wrote it out on paper over the past week and now I'm typing it. First time I've ever done this but I kinda liked it. It was easier than starting at some time in the morning and ending about 20 hours later. And yet I still ended up finishing around 2:30 a.m. So, on paper, this was 23 pages, counting everything I scratched out and attempted to add in. Hopefully it's at least in the teens when it's typed out. Hopefully it doesn't take too long either. I was trying to pin a poster to my wall and the head broke off with the pin stabbing my finger to where I can't feel most of my right index finger. So yay. On to the crap!)**

When the sun came up, most of the crew had woken up and started their usual morning routine. It took not even ten minutes for them to get the feeling something was wrong and started searching the whole ship. After a few minutes, most of them met up on deck.

"Anyone find anything?" Usopp asked.

"Nothing seemed to be off." Brook stated.

"NO!" Franky cried from below deck.

Immediately, everyone headed down, either through the ladder hidden on deck or through the ladder in the Aquarium Bar – which led to Usopp and Franky's workshops, taking the long way around. Once everyone – excluding Zoro – was below deck and in the Soldier Dock System, they saw Franky in front of an open dock, panicking.

"What's wrong?" Chopper asked, curious and slightly panicked as well.

"…She's gone. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone!" Franky chanted frantically to no one in particular. 

"Who?" Brook asked.

"Mini Merry II! She's missing!" Franky shouted.

"WHAT!?" Usopp shouted, some of the rooms occupants having to cover their ears. "What do you mean she's missing!?"

"Do you see her!?" Franky shouted while gesturing towards the empty dock with clear view of the ocean, due to the open door.

"Has anyone seen Luffy, Ace, or Sabo?" Nami questioned, ignoring the panicking shipwright and sharpshooter.

"They're supposed to be in the men's quarters." Chopper said.

"What do you mean 'supposed to be'?" Nami questioned. "Has anyone checked?"

"We couldn't. The shitty Marimo was blocking the door." Sanji said as he placed a new cigarette between his lips and lighting it.

"Why didn't anyone wake him up?" Nami asked, angrily.

"We figured if we couldn't get in, then they couldn't get out." Chopper said, slowly backing away from Nami and towards Robin.

Without a word Nami was climbing up the ladder to the deck, with everyone in tow. As soon as everyone was on deck, they all noticed Nami stomping towards a sleeping Zoro. Within a matter of seconds, Nami was yelling at Zoro before punching him in the head.

"Ow! What the hell!?" Zoro yelled while holding the now forming bump on his head.

"Move!" Nami yelled before pushing the swordsman out of the way.

As soon as Zoro was out of the way, Nami opened the door and walked in. Not even a minute later, everyone heard Nami panicking. Within seconds, the whole crew was inside the room.

"They're gone!" Nami yelled as soon as everyone came in.

"You don't think they left the ship do you?" Chopper asked.

"They had to! That's the only reasonable explanation as to why they aren't here and why Mini Merry II is gone!" Nami shouted angrily causing Usopp and Franky to whimper and Chopper to hide behind Robin.

"But how would they have gotten out? Zoro-san was blocking the door." Robin questioned.

"No I wasn't." Zoro stated, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes you were. Why do you think we had to move you? Shitty Marimo." Sanji huffed.

"What was that dart board brow?!" Zoro shouted.

"Please explain, Zoro-san." Robin said calmly.

"I fell asleep against the wall. I was near the door but not in front of it." Zoro explained.

"Then how'd you get in front of the door?" Usopp asked.

"Don't know." Zoro said bluntly.

"Che. Shitty Marimo." Sanji muttered passed his cigarette.

"What did you say ero-cook!?" Zoro yelled.

"Now isn't the time!" Nami shouted.

"They were really strong. Maybe they moved him?" Chopper suggested.

"They're kids." Nami stated.

"Kids who grew up to be monsters." Usopp reminded.

"Still! They're seven and ten year-olds! It took them ten years to get that strong!" Nami protested with annoyance.

"Maybe not." Chopper stated, his head down a little and resting on his hoof in thought. "I saw a few large skeletons within a mile or so of their tree house. The smell on the bones was also covering the tree house. Also, I noticed a lot of animals trying to avoid them and the tree house. Didn't you think it was strange how we didn't see any animals after we got within a mile of their house?"

Nami and Usopp were shocked and speechless. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. It didn't help that their memories chose that exact moment to remind them of the stories the boys, mainly Luffy, had told them. The story of how they beat the 'Tiger Lord' standing out the most.

"They really were monsters…" Nami and Usopp muttered in unison.

-x-x-x-

Marco had just woken up from a very confusing dream. Ace had come back to life but as a ten year-old and Strawhat was with him as a seven year-old, along with another boy the called their brother. The boy looked nothing like the other two but was the same age as Ace. But it was nothing more than a dream. He was happy to be awake with his family and crew.

Once again, he found himself wondering about his family. Marco had been their brother but was now captain due to the death of Oyaji. Did his position make him their father now? He thought of this a lot. More than he cared to admit actually. He knew he couldn't replace Oyaji, but was he still a brother or more now? He didn't mind staying a brother. He was just curious but didn't want to ask, fearing someone would take it the wrong way and be angry at him.

"Oi! Marco!" a voice called out, pulling Marco from his thoughts.

"What is it, Izo, yoi?" Marco questioned the okama.

"I've been calling out to you for the last three minutes. You still not awake?" Izo asked.

"Sorry, yoi. I was thinking about something and must have spaced out." Marco apologized.

"Whatever. As I was trying to ask before, why is the sign in front of Ace's room flipped over?" Izo asked curiously, some sadness in his eyes and voice when mentioning their passed brother.

"It's flipped over?" Marco asked, Izo nodding in response. "I didn't know, yoi. Thatch had watch last night, maybe you should…" Marco's voice faded off.

"Marco? _Marco_? You there? Great…" Izo sighed.

"I'll be right back, yoi." Marco said before leaving his brother and heading to the Second Division Commanders room.

Just as Izo had said, the sign was flipped over. The name against the wall and hiding from all who looked at it. Maybe Thatch had flipped it so the boys and Ace look-a-like didn't see it.

'_No! It was a dream! It didn't happen…_' Marco thought to himself, slowing his thoughts and saddening towards the end.

Maybe it was a second chance though. They couldn't save their brother before but now they were given the chance to fix their mistake and maybe even raise the boy. But was he really their brother brought back or just some kid? And if he was their brother, would he remember them? Would he remember his own death? Only one way to find out.

Slowly, Marco reached towards the door and turned the handle, opening the door. He slowly looked into the dark room and noticed everything was the exact same as when the owner of the room was still with them. A sense of sorrow washed over him before he saw something, in the corner of his eye, move. He looked over towards the movement and found himself looking at the bed and the two small boys under the sheets. He was confused as to where the smallest boy had been and why the pillow wasn't on the bed.

"Hi." A high pitched voice whispered from next to the door frame.

Marco looked down to his right, where the voice had come from, and saw Luffy hugging the pillow close to him. At least he knew where the kid was and why the other two weren't using the pillow. He kneeled down to Luffy's eye level and looked the boy over. He seemed to have been out of bed for a while now seeing as how awake he was.

"Hi. Luffy, correct?" Marco questioned.

"Yup." Luffy said with a smile. "Marco, right?"

Marco nodded causing Luffy to smile more. The kid had remembered his name correctly. According to what Ace had said about when he and his kid brother were younger, Luffy almost always forgot names and usually called them by some stupid nickname. Only people the kid considered trustworthy or a friend, were called by their real name. Marco couldn't help but smile, even if it was a small one.

"What are you doing up, yoi?" Marco asked quietly.

"I've been up for a while." Luffy said, not really knowing how to answer.

"Why didn't you come out, yoi?" Marco asked.

"I don't know… Something about this room made me really comfortable and happy. Just being in here made me feel like Ace was hugging me." Luffy said with a small smile as he hugged the pillow tighter.

"What about the pillow, yoi? Why are you carrying it?" Marco asked.

Luffy shook his head slowly. "Don't know. When I woke up, I was holding it. I tried letting go of it but almost immediately felt upset, cold, and a little lonely. I didn't like it so I've been holding it." Luffy admit.

Then it clicked. This was Mugiwara no Luffy. The real Monkey D. Luffy. From what Marco had heard Ace saying about the boy, the kid had great instincts and was almost possessive of any signs of life when he was lonely or upset. A part of the kid had somehow figured out it was Ace's pillow he was holding and most likely thought if he let go of the pillow, he would lose his brother again. From what Marco knew, nobody other than the crew and Ace's brother was that close to him. This had to be the kid that risked his life to save their brother. He was almost positive.

"Luffy," Marco began quietly. "Do you mind telling me your full name?"

Luffy looked at Marco curiously before replying. "Monkey D. Luffy. Why do you ask?"

"What about Ace? What's his full name, yoi?" Marco asked, ignoring Luffy's question.

Luffy pouted, since he didn't get his answer, and looked at the ground. A few seconds later, Luffy looked up and at Marco. "I'm not allowed to tell. It's a secret. Plus Ace said if I told anyone, then he would hurt me…" Luffy muttered the last part to himself, but Marco still heard.

"What does he usually go by, yoi?" Marco asked, practically rephrasing his earlier question.

"Hmm…" Luffy sounded as he thought carefully. "I think I heard him say 'Portgas D. Ace' once. Why?"

Marco was shocked, but didn't show it. So the boy really was Ace and the kid next to him really was Mugiwara. All that was left were two questions; who was this 'Sabo' kid he'd never heard of and how were the famous D. Brothers kids again?

"Hey!" Luffy whispered, trying not to wake his brothers.

"What, yoi?" Marco asked, finally acknowledging the boy.

"Why did you want to know mine and Ace's names?" Luffy asked, silently hoping he would actually get an answer this time.

"I used to have friends named 'Ace' and 'Luffy'. Knowing the Grand Line, I thought they were turned into kids." Marco said.

Well, he had gotten somewhat of an answer, but he didn't like it. Luffy quickly noticed the man in front of him was starting to sound like the people his brothers claimed as insane. Luffy didn't want that. For one reason or another, Luffy liked Marco, Thatch, and the warm feeling he got from the ship. He didn't want to leave them like he did the others.

"And?" Luffy pressed on, hoping Marco would save himself.

"Your first names are the same, yoi. But that's it. Now that I think about it, you don't even act the same. The dark hair is the only thing that makes you look alike, yoi." Marco explained.

From what Marco could gather, Ace and Luffy were brought back – in Ace's case – and turned into children with no memories. With no memories meant no remembrance of the war or anything bad that may have happened to them. In other words, pure innocence, a fresh start, and a second chance at a life they couldn't achieve before. Why destroy that with the truth?

"Oh." Luffy sounded before thinking to himself, '_Good. He isn't one of those crazy people._'

Luffy let a small smile pass over his lips again, causing Marco to be curious again. Luffy noticed this and thought over if he should tell his new friend. He had claimed the man as trustworthy but was he trusting the man more than he should? Marco seemed like the quiet and trusting type, from what Luffy's instincts told him. He didn't know why but he felt like he knew Marco more than he actually did.

"Ne… Marco…?" Luffy questioned slowly and quietly.

"What is it, yoi?" Marco asked, curious and slightly suspicious.

"Can you keep a secret?" Luffy asked shyly.

Marco silently wondered why the boy would ask but nodded anyways.

"Good. Don't tell Ace I said any of this okay? He isn't very trusting and is even worse lately…" Luffy said.

"Alright, but why doesn't he trust people, yoi?" Marco asked.

Luffy was quiet for a few moments before speaking. "We woke up a few weeks ago on the Grand Line on a weird guys ship. He kept saying Ace was dead, Sabo didn't exist, and I was seventeen and a pirate captain. Some others have said the same. Ace and Sabo have been calling people like them insane and we had to leave. I don't want to leave another ship and more friends. Ace and Sabo are worried you're like them." Luffy admitted, burying his face in the pillow towards the end.

'_So people have been telling them? I guess it's a good thing the boys have been ignoring it all._' Marco thought to himself.

"It makes sense. If someone didn't look too closely and only heard your first names, then it would be an easy mistake, yoi." Marco said.

"You're not like them, right?" Luffy asked, looking Marco in the eyes with large owlish eyes filled with worry.

"Well, as far as I know, I'm not insane so I would say I'm not like them, yoi." Marco said with a small smile.

"Yay!" Luffy said excitedly before hugging Marco, almost dropping the pillow.

"Shh." Marco sounded. "We don't need your brothers waking up because of us. How about we go get some breakfast, yoi?"

"What about Ace and Sabo?" Luffy asked.

"We'll bring them back something to eat, or we can send someone to get them, yoi." Marco suggested.

"Okay." Luffy said with a smile as he let go of the other man.

Marco stood up and backed out of the doorframe allowing the boy to step out as well. Once Luffy stepped out of the door, Marco quietly closed it, and started walking with the boy toward the dining hall. At some point, Luffy had grabbed Marco's hand while still holding the pillow close. Marco didn't mind much. When they passed someone who sent him a weird look, he just glared at them and they dropped the thought. They may have been family, but that wouldn't stop the phoenix when he was upset.

Within a few minutes, Marco and Luffy were at the dining hall. Once they walked in the room, Luffy was surprised with how many people there were. Everyone was talking, laughing, and eating their food. Nobody was fighting for anything either. As soon as Marco started heading towards a line, the people started to notice him and smile more than before.

"Oi! Marco! What's up, Cap'n?" a man shouted.

'_Cap'n? Does that mean he's in charge?_' Luffy thought to himself while looking up at Marco.

"Just getting breakfast, yoi." Marco stated, a small smile still gracing his lips.

"You actually going to eat with us or up in your room again?" Another man asked.

"I planned on eating in here, that is, if I'm allowed to, yoi." Marco stated jokingly.

"What's got you so happy? And what's with the kid?" a girl asked, pointing to Luffy in the end.

Everyone finally noticed Luffy, after the girl pointed him out. They were all wondering why he was hugging a pillow that was almost bigger than him, and when he got on the ship. Then another thing stood out; Marco was holding the kids hand. Everyone had to fight the urge to either smile or chuckle.

"His name's Luffy." Marco stated, ignoring all their faces and faint chuckles that came from the crowd. "Thatch and I found him and his brothers at sea last night, yoi."

"Luffy, huh?" a tall man questioned as he walked over to said boy and kneeled to the boys eye level, which proved to be difficult. "Cool. You plan on joinin' the family?"

Luffy looked over the tall man questioning him. The man was a lot taller than Luffy, even when crouching, with dark, curly hair sticking out of a dark blue top hat. A curly mustache and smile, that seemed to never fade, decorated his face along with an earring in each ear. He was wearing a dark, semi-open shirt with a diamond patter towards the top with a large, white collar. Attached to his shirt was a cape of the same color, which covered two sabers behind his waist, along with cyan pants that were tucked into his black boots, which was about where the cape ended.

"Family…?" Luffy questioned quietly, burying half his face into the pillow.

"Yeah! You didn't know?" Luffy slowly shook his head 'no' and the man chuckled. "I guess I should explain then. This crew is a family and this ship is our home. Each of us are like brothers and sisters. We about each other and help each other when needed."

"Really!?" Luffy asked excitedly, his face pulling away from the pillow.

"Yeah." The man said with another chuckle. "So should I be expecting to call you 'brother' soon?"

Luffy was surprised. Did that mean they wanted him to join them? What about Ace and Sabo? What would they say? Were they allowed to join or was the offer only for him? Either way it would be hard to decide, even though he knew what Ace would say.

"Vista." Marco said, almost like a warning.

"Sorry, I just got excited." Vista said to Marco before turning back to Luffy. "I don't really expect an answer."

Without a word, Luffy nodded in understanding as he hugged the pillow closer. He felt the hand around his gently squeeze the small appendage. When Luffy looked up, he saw Marco looking at him with a small, comforting smile.

"Come on, yoi." The blonde said before heading over to where the line used to be.

After a few moments, Marco was holding two trays of food in his hand – his other hand holding Luffy's. They had walked over to an empty table and quietly ate their food. Neither minded the silence at their table, in fact they liked it. Marco didn't know what to talk about and neither did Luffy. The small boy actually took it as a chance to listen to their stories, funny comments – which he had chuckled at a few times – and their simple laughter. It had all made Luffy smile a little more. They really were like what he imagined a family would be like.

There was that word again. Family. He didn't really know what it was. Luffy didn't know his mother or father. He only knew his grandfather who constantly left him with either Makino or Dadan. But now he had Ace and Sabo, he had brothers. Even though they weren't related, it still counted, right?

Is that what they meant? Were these people 'brothers and sisters' by bond like him and his brothers? Or were they just a bunch of random people who thought it was just a word they could use without reason?

After a few more minutes of listening to the people, seeing how close and happy they were, and seeing how they acted, Luffy couldn't help but smile. They acted like him, Ace, and Sabo. If that's what a true family was, then he was proud to have one and happy to see this many people with such close bonds.

"What are you smiling about, yoi?" Marco asked, bringing Luffy away from his thoughts.

"Nothing. Just the thought of this many people being this close and caring so much for each other make me happy, I guess." Luffy explained.

"Well said." A voice said from behind Luffy.

The small boy turned around and smiled. "Thatch!" he called out with excitement.

"_Luffy_." Two high-pitch voices said dangerously from next to Thatch, causing said boy to get nervous.

"M-morning…" Luffy stuttered with something akin to fear.

"Mind explaining to us why you weren't in the room when we woke up?" Sabo questioned as Ace glared at Luffy.*

The small boy looked down into the pillow, avoiding eye contact. "I was awake for a while and was waiting for you guys to wake up. After a while I started getting hungry and a while after that Marco came in." Luffy explained.

"About how long do you think you were awake?" Thatch asked.

"Probably an hour or so. Maybe more." Luffy stated, holding the pillow closer to him.

Sabo sighed. "Luffy… We need to talk. _Alone_." The young blond said, emphasizing the word 'alone' towards the adults.

Without a word, Luffy nodded, jumped down from his spot at the table, and left the room. The rooms occupants watched as the boy left, then looked at the other children in the room, only to be glared at by a very annoyed Ace. Even if it belong to a child, that glare was deadly. Immediately, everyone went back to doing what they were doing before and attempted to ignore the aura in the room. That aura was far too familiar. Everyone had felt it at least once – especially when it came to Thatch messing with their favorite fire user.

As soon as the boys left the room, everyone turned to Marco and Thatch. Every last one of them silently asking the same question.

"Care to explain?" Vista voiced for everyone else.

"There isn't much, yoi." Marco began. "They woke up a few weeks ago on the Grand Line and have been running away from whoever says they're Fire Fist and Strawhat. Some even went so far as to say one never existed. That's why, from this moment on, no one is to speak of Fire Fist or Strawhat. From now on, we know nothing about either of them, yoi."

"You're insane! You want us to forget about our own brother and his brother!?" someone among the crowd shouted.

"If we make any comparisons then they'll leave. Do you want them to leave and we never meet them again, or do you want to not mention the past and instead create a better future for those boys, yoi?" Marco questioned.

Everyone was shocked at first but slowly understood. They didn't want their brother to leave them again.

-x-x-x-

Once Ace and Sabo were outside, they saw their younger brother sitting against the railing. He was holding the pillow so tightly in his grasp that they couldn't help but ease up.

"What's going on, Lu?" Ace asked calmly as he walked over to the small boy, soon followed by Sabo.

Luffy hummed curiously before looking at his brothers and the worry in their eyes.

"You've been freezing up, spacing out, and when you finally come to you aren't you aren't yourself. Are you okay?" Sabo questioned.

"I've been doing that? I didn't know…" Luffy said quietly before hiding his face in the pillow.

"Luffy… Do you remember what you said before we went to sleep last night?" Sabo asked.

Luffy shook his head 'no' before burying his face into the pillow.

"You were serious. You told Thatch you could see the pain in his eyes and recognized it as something you would feel after losing a loved one. You said you've felt that pain twice now. What aren't you telling us?" Ace questioned, slowly getting more and more annoyed.

Luffy didn't say anything, only tighten his hold on the pillow, hiding his face more.

"Luffy." Sabo called out with worry, only to get no reply.

"Luffy." Ace called out with more stern of a tone than Sabo.

"Luffy." Ace called, sounding angrier.

"Luffy!" Ace shouted, still getting no reaction.

"God damn it Luffy! Answer me!" Ace shouted, grabbing the pillow and stealing it from his little brother who was most likely crying.

When the pillow was pulled away, Luffy wasn't crying. His straw hat was covering his eyes but no tears were visible. Luffy was completely frozen again. He didn't move and for a moment, it looked like he stopped breathing.

"Lu-" Sabo questioned but was cut off when Luffy suddenly stood.

Luffy's head was down with his hat shadowing his eyes still. His hands slowly balling up into fists then unclenching. After a few seconds, Luffy started to reach for the pillow only to have Ace move it away from the younger.

"Give it back…" Luffy muttered.

"Answer my question." Ace said.

"Give it back." Luffy said, slightly louder.

"Why do you even want it? It's just a stupid pillow!" Ace snapped.

"Give it back!" Luffy shouted before grabbing Ace's shirt, flipping the older boy so he was face down on the deck, and pinned him with his knee in the center of Ace's back.

Ace was completely shocked. Slowly he turned his head and looked at the younger and supposed-to-be weaker brother. The boy was sending a death glare towards Ace. If the glare really was meant to scare him, then it was doing a damn good job. Luffy looked absolutely furious.

"_Give it back._" Luffy growled through his teeth.

Slowly, and unconsciously, Ace was letting go of the pillow that had somehow managed to stay in his grasp. As soon as the pillow was out of his hand, Luffy got off, grabbed the pillow, and sat in the same spot and position as before.

"…Luffy?" Sabo questioned, still in shock, his voice barely a whisper.

"What?" Luffy questioned, his young voice sounding more mature and forceful.

"H-how…? What…? Why…?" Sabo questioned, unable to form a full sentence.

When Luffy looked up at him, Sabo froze. Those eyes weren't Luffy's. Luffy was innocent, carefree, irresponsible, and always happy. Those eyes though… They were the complete opposite. They were filled with the knowledge of someone who's lost everything. They were overflowing with maturity, strength, responsibility, ferocity, anger, and, above all, sadness. The fact that his treasured straw hat was causing a shadow to cover those eyes didn't help in the slightest. It only made things worse.

"You wouldn't understand. You've never lost anyone. But when you do, you'll find out that even the smallest trace of them is important." Luffy explained, his voice overflowing with hidden knowledge even his eyes didn't show.

Sabo stared at the boy in complete and utter shock. Again, the younger boy had said he had lost someone. But who, and what did that have to do with the pillow?

"Huh?" Luffy sounded with his usual voice. "Sabo? What's wrong? And why is Ace on the ground?" Luffy questioned with worry.

Luffy was back to normal. For now. No one knew how long it would be until the boy would have another fit. Ace and Sabo both hoped they could figure out what was happening to their little brother before it happened again.

**(And done! Hey look at that! It's even 23 pages on here! XD Sorry if I made it sound like Luffy was too smart. But hey. He's got another ten years that the three don't know about. Gotta show it off sometimes ya know? Also with Luffy getting that angry, I figured since he gets pretty pissed off when someone says something bad about Ace, wouldn't he go bat shit crazy if someone took away the only thing he had left of his brother? Probably. Another thing, with Izo and Vista, I have not read anything about them, I have not seen them, I know absolutely nothing about the two other than what they look like and that Izo is a guy. One Piece Wiki is amazing sometimes. Sorry if Marco seemed a little OOC. But like I was told. My fanfic, I can make them how I want. Yeah, no. Sorry but even if it's a fanfic I still like to stick to facts. Like the fact that Luffy is a guy and that I hate every fanfic that makes him or any other characters gender bend. No offence to the authors, I just really don't like it. Don't know why either. Anyways, I **_**was **_**going to start a new fanfic – it's an ASL as well – but I ran out of time. It would basically be 'What would happen if, after the Strawhat's reunited, Ace and Sabo found them?'. Tell me if you think I should try it. It would probably be a one-shot, because I don't know what would happen after, but you never know. Fave, follow, review and keep reading. Bai~! c(X )**

***Is it just me or were Ace and Sabo like Good Cop, Bad Cop? Sabo's asking the questions while Ace is terrifying Luffy XD I didn't even know I did that until I typed it.**

**Fails while typing:**

**-Not understanding what I wrote just yesterday.**

**-Trying to write 'to' and instead typing the word 'typo'.**

**-Spending 30 minutes yelling at my computer saying what I think should happen and forgetting I'm the one writing it.**

**-Accidently start typing the lyrics to the song I'm listening to and forgetting the story.**

**-Writing 'few' instead of 'food'. Don't ask.**

**-Forgetting what I was thinking about not even a second ago.**

**-Paying more attention to movies and music. Damn you ADD!**

**Start time – 1:30 P.M.**

**End time – 10:35 P.M.**


	8. Questioning and Family

Chapter 8: Questioning and Family

**(Hey guyz! I'm back! So I want you to know I'm going to try and update weekly, no promises though. So the plan is, Second Chance is updated on Saturday and Brothers Returned/ The Return of ASL is updated on Sunday. Wish me luck. Also, I've been reading a lot of first-person fanfics so I'm sorry if I say something in first-person instead of third. By the way, does anyone know how to explain a second-person point of view? If it exists that is. Sorry I just woke up, I have no clue what this chapter is going to be about, and I'm hungry. I tried searching second-person POV's and just resulted in confusing myself further. By the way, I made a poll and would like it if you guys would vote. It helps later on. On to the crap!)**

It had been about ten minutes since the three brothers had left the room and Marco told the crew not to say a word of Fire Fist. Everyone had gone back to eating after their shock had worn off. Some were still fuming about not being able to mention their passed brother while most had just gone back to whatever they were talking about. But for a few, they were worried about the boys. Some were starting to think the boys were planning on leaving them, others were thinking the boys had a lot to talk about.

"Hey." Thatch said from across from Marco. "What do you think's taking them so long?"

"They probably have a lot to talk about, yoi. I'm sure they'll be back soon." Marco said.

Thatch sighed. "I don't like them being out of our sights though. We didn't exactly hide Ace's stuff and I'd rather they not find out about him."

"You don't want them knowing about themselves, correct, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Yeah. I don't want them to know about their big brothers death, but at the same time I want Ace to remember all the good times we spent together. Ah this is so annoying!" Thatch shouted.

"I know, yoi. But it's better this way if you think about it." Marco said.

"What do you mean?" Thatch asked.

"Ace can live again, he has his brothers, it seems like nothing too bad has happened to him, and now he's back with his family, yoi. If you ask me, he was given a chance at a better life." Marco explained.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'nothing too bad'?" Thatch questioned.

"He mentioned once that he was hated because of who his father was, yoi. Now I understand why. Knowing Ace, he probably asked people what they thought if Roger had a son. He most likely didn't get the best answers, yoi." Marco stated.

"I have to admit, if I didn't know him, I'd probably say some pretty bad things as well." Thatch said sadly.

Just as Marco was about to reply, a loud bang resounded through the room. For a few moments, everyone was trying to figure out what it was. After some thought, they all recognized it as someone hitting the floor pretty hard. At first everyone thought it was just Ace's narcolepsy but then they realized, even when his narcolepsy kicked in, he never fell that hard. Someone was thrown to the ground. That's when they heard a voice.

"You wouldn't understand. You've never lost anyone. But when you do, you'll find out that even the smallest trace of them is important."

It sounded like Luffy but it didn't at the same time. Luffy was high pitch and always happy. The owner of this voice sounded like an older, angrier, and more depressed version of Luffy. But how?

"Huh? Sabo? What's wrong? And why is Ace on the ground?"

This time it was Luffy. His voice was the same high pitch they had heard before. It wasn't dark or mysterious like before. It actually sounded a little scared towards the end. When they realized this, Marco and Thatch were already out the door and headed for the boys.

After a minute or so, Marco and Thatch were on deck staring at the three brothers. Ace was lying on the ground looking at Luffy with a mix of confusion, worry, and… fear? Sabo was a few feet away from Ace with his back to the men but they could tell he had about the same expression as Ace. Luffy was next to the railing, still hugging that pillow and looking at his brothers with confusion and slight fear.

"What happened, yoi?" Marco questioned.

Sabo slowly turned towards Marco, his eyes filled with the same emotions as Ace. Sabo looked up at Marco and looked like he was struggling to think. Eventually he started opening his mouth and closing it like he couldn't process words.

Marco kneeled down to Sabo's eye level and looked the boy in the eyes. He searched the boy's eyes for a few moments, hoping he would get some sort of hint. Instead he saw nothing but shock, confusion, worry, fear, and some slight curiosity. Marco swore he even saw a flicker of pride but it lasted for barely a second.

"I need you to tell me what happened, yoi." Marco said calmly.

"L-Lu… H-he…" Sabo stuttered, unable to make a sentence.

"Luffy?" Thatch questioned, only for the boy to hum in recognition and curiosity. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I was just standing here, hugging Pillow, while Ace yelled at me. I felt him grab Pillow and the next thing I know he's face down on the ground and staring at me." Luffy explained.

"Y-you r-really don't r-remember…?" Sabo questioned.

"Remember what?" Luffy asked.

"Y-you just…" Sabo stuttered, not able to explain.

"Y-you don't remember me taking the pillow…?" Ace questioned, his shock slowly fading but faster than Sabo's.

"You took Pillow from me?" Luffy asked. "When?"

"Lu… I was talking to you. You weren't answering and instead were hugging that thing. I pulled it away to talk to you and instead you started yelling at me to give it back. I said you couldn't have it until you answered my question and you attacked me. You flipped me just for a pillow, Lu." Ace explained.

"What?" Thatch questioned, now shocked as well.

"No I didn't. I've been right here the whole time." Luffy stated, fear slowly overtaking him.

"If I may ask for a moment, who was the one that said 'You wouldn't understand. You haven't lost anyone', yoi?" Marco asked.

Sabo slowly lifted his hand and pointed to Luffy. This shocked Marco and Thatch even more. Yes it sounded somewhat like the boy but it was almost completely different.

"Y-you didn't e-even have y-your e-eyes…" Sabo stuttered as he turned back to Luffy, not looking the boy in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked slowly.

"Y-your e-eyes… T-they were f-filled with anger, hate, f-ferocity, a-and s-sadness… T-the a-anger was p-pointed a-at u-us…" Sabo stated, fear slowly coming back.

Thatch's eyes widened at that comment and kneeled down to Sabo as well. "Tell me… Did his eyes have more responsibility? Knowledge or maturity even?"

Sabo looked at Thatch and nodded slightly. "H-how did you kn-know?"

"Sadness, strength, maturity, responsibility, and knowledge… That's what I saw in his eyes last night…" Thatch stated.

"Last night, yoi?" Marco asked.

"I was taking them to their room when Luffy started questioning me. Eventually he asked why I was working the night shift when I was in pain. He said he saw it in my eyes that I was injured and that only an attack could cause it. He even figured out that we lost someone important. He said he's felt the same pain twice… That nothing could have changed unless you went back a few years…" Thatch explained to Marco, slowing down towards the end as realization kicked in.

"He said that, yoi?" Marco asked in shock, his only answer being small nods from the Thatch, Ace, and Sabo. "Luffy. Do you remember any of this, yoi?"

"No… I just remember being on deck and walking towards a hallway. When I woke up I was in a weird room and hugging Pillow." Luffy explained, fear growing faster.

"Do you remember losing anyone, yoi? A friend, a family member, anyone or anything?" Marco asked.

"Nu-uh." Luffy sounded. "Ace and Sabo are still around. All of the mountain bandits are still alive and so are Shanks and Makino. Gramps leaves a lot but I'm sure he's fine."

"What about your parents, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Parents? Like a mommy and daddy? I have those?" Luffy asked curiously.

"You don't know them?" Thatch asked.

"The only family I know are Ace, Sabo, and gramps." Luffy admit.

"It most likely isn't his parents he's talking about, yoi. I don't know about his mother, but I know his father is still running around causing trouble." Marco said to no one in particular.

"You know my daddy?" Luffy asked.

"Yes and no. A lot of people know who he is but very few people have met him in person, yoi. He's known as The Revolutionary Dragon and is the most wanted man in the world. Now I get where you get it from." Marco stated, muttering the last part to himself.

"Cool! So he's a dragon?" Luffy asked.

"No, his name is Monkey D. Dragon, yoi. It's only his name." Marco explained.

"Oh… Oh well." Luffy said.

"Now we know it isn't his parents at least, yoi. But then who is it?" Marco thought aloud.

"Marco. Can I talk to you in private for a second?" Thatch asked.

Marco looked at the fourth division commander curiously before nodding and walking to the other side of the deck. "What is it, yoi?" Marco asked quietly.

"I think I know who it is Luffy lost." Thatch whispered.

"Who?" Marco questioned with slight shock.

"Ace and Sabo. He might be getting flashes of his memory." Thatch said.

"What makes you think that, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Ace told us that Luffy was his only family. Luffy just now said his only family was his brothers and Garp. This brings up a question; Why didn't Ace tell us about Sabo? The only thing I can think of is Sabo died and Ace didn't want to mention it. Then Ace died in Luffy's arms. That would most likely be what Luffy keeps saying." Thatch explained.

"L-Luffy…?" Ace questioned.

Marco and Thatch looked over towards said boy and saw him frozen in place. The two adults ran over to the small boy and looked him over. He seemed fine until you saw his face. His eyes were wide and glazed over. After a few moments, tears started forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Luffy?" Thatch called out.

Said boy only lowered his head before speaking. "You're right."

"What?" Marco questioned.

"What you said. You're right. Sabo died when he was ten after being shot by a Celestial Dragon and Ace died in my arms after protecting me from Akainu…" Luffy said in a slightly watery and shaky voice before drops of water fell from his cheeks and onto the deck.

"W-what…?" Thatch and Marco questioned in unison while Ace and Sabo stayed quiet but still shocked.

"What are you talking about Luffy…? They're right here, yoi." Marco said while Ace slowly stood and started walking over to his younger brother.

"Marco…" Luffy called out, his voice shakier than before. "You'll protect us right? You, Thatch, Vista and everyone else? You won't let them die again right?"

Luffy looked up at Marco with watery, pleading eyes. Marco was slightly taken aback. Had Luffy remembered what they wanted to hide? If so, how? Marco didn't know what to say so he just nodded.

Luffy showed a small smile as his tears continued to fall. "I don't want to lose them again. I can't live without my brothers…" Luffy said quietly.

"Luffy… How many times do we have to tell you? It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real." Ace said as he stood next to his younger brother and put his hand on the boys shoulder.

"But it felt so real... Ace… I don't want you or Sabo to die!" Luffy shouted as he hugged his older brother and cried harder.

After a few moments of shock, Sabo ran over to his brothers and hugged them with Luffy in between them. Marco and Thatch looked at each other in confusion. Had the boy dreamt about it? Or was he remembering?

-x-x-x-

It had been about a week since Luffy's fit. During that time, the three brothers met nearly every one of the crew and made some kind of connection. Everyone was used to Luffy running around with Ace and Sabo chasing him down – either for fun or because the youngest did something he shouldn't have. Everyone liked them so much, they even went so far as to replace the 'Second Division Commander' sign for a sign with their names. The crew had said it was because they liked the boys – which was true – but the main, and untold reason was because they didn't want to answer any questions as to why Ace's full name was on the door already.

Earlier in the day, they landed on an island and bought the boys some clothes, some furniture, and random stuff they said they would die without. Everyone laughed when they saw how badly Luffy wanted a shirt that said 'Anchor' on it.

Many were surprised as to the fact that Sabo had wanted books. Normally that wouldn't surprise you, but the level these books were at was almost scary. Most of the crew couldn't understand half of what the books were talking about but a ten year-old understood with ease. Hell he even called a few of them children's stories. Easy to say, some of the crew avoided him for the day due to the fact that they thought he was crazy.

Ace was simple though. He didn't care much about what he got. He mostly got shorts, t-shirts, a jacket or two, and a few different colored button up shirts that he would wear over the t-shirt. However there were a few things he found interest in. When they had passed a jewelry store, he had seen a red beaded necklace in the window. After a few minutes he had walked out wearing the necklace and a red and white striped bracelet. Everyone told him they looked good on him.

The hardest thing to find for Ace, though, was a hat. When they were shopping, Sabo and Luffy had started talking about how they had hats but Ace didn't. Eventually they had found a hat shop with a very large variety. After some time, Ace had ran back with an orange cowboy hat. Marco and Thatch – who were the ones forced to go with them – looked at it and smiled fondly. It looked exactly like Fire Fists hat minus the beads and medallions.

Once they left the store, with Ace wearing his new hat, the boy had said it was too plain and needed something added to it. A few blocks away they found a craft store and Ace ran in before Marco or Thatch could even turn the corner. The only way they knew he had gone in was the fact that Sabo and Luffy were running in as well. Another few minutes passed and Ace was walking out happily with a small bag of beads, string, and medallions that Luffy had grabbed, saying they reminded him of Ace.

When they got back to the ship, Sabo had taken the hat and materials from Ace so he could put it together. Many times somebody would walk by and suggest helping the small blond but he protested. The brothers would always say something about it being their project. After a while of hearing this, the crew realized why they didn't want help. Ace had chosen the hat, Luffy had chosen the materials, and since Sabo hadn't chosen anything, he wanted to put it all together.

At dinner the three boys ran into the dining hall. Ace had been wearing brown shoes, brown shorts, a light blue shirt that had flames printed over the entire bottom and left side, along with his usual elbow guard, new necklace, new bracelet, and hat that was just finished. Luffy was wearing his sandals, blue shorts that were frayed at the bottoms, a white shirt that said 'Anchor' in red print, along with his usual straw hat which was hanging around his neck. Sabo was a bit of a surprise though. He was wearing black boots, teal shorts, a black t-shirt, and a blue button up shirt that he left unbuttoned. It was close to his usual outfit but more casual and allowed him to still wear his favorite top hat.

When everyone saw the boys run in and straight to the line for food, they all started laughing. The boys had really eased up, especially Ace. They were laughing at all sorts of things, but mostly the boys. They were either laughing due to the fact that the boys were as hyper as ever, happily wearing the clothes they earlier refused to buy, Luffy's 'Anchor' shirt, or the fact the their beloved hats were far too big.

Everyone had to admit though, the boys had brought some of them closer and cheered them up. After losing so many of their brothers and sisters, along with losing their father, most of the crew started falling apart and they didn't talk or laugh as much as they used to. But then the brothers came and repaired it all in less than a week. The crew were in debt to these boys which is why they had bought them so much stuff. For some of the crew, it was like a bride. They would buy the boys what they wanted if the boys would stay. To most of the crew though, the items were just a thanks.

After the boys had gotten their food, they ran to their usual table where Marco, Thatch, Vista, Haruta, Izo, and a few others were waiting for them. They all carried a decent conversation. Many of them were glad that the boys weren't fighting over food or stealing someone else's. Thatch had changed the rules a little to where the boys got a little more food than anyone else. Some called it unfair until Thatch gave the boys the same amount as everyone else, leading in a huge fight over food. During the fight, many people were forced to the infirmary after trying to stop the boys from stealing food. Many people had been punched, bitten, or stabbed with a fork or knife by the three boys. Everyone knew those wounds would scar as well.

Taking into consideration how horrible and unwanted another fight would be, everyone agreed that the boys needed more food. Quickly the boys realized they had more than anyone else and started easing up on how much they ate. Slowly but surely their portions started to go to the same size as everyone else's, shocking many people especially Thatch – who believed they hated his food. It took a day to convince the man that his food was great and that the boys were just trying to be considerate of everyone else.

Everyone was enjoying their meals and talking about some of their memories. Laughter echoed throughout the ship. Everyone was busy having so much fun that nobody noticed the incoming ship except for the man put on guard in the crows nest. Everyone was laughing so much and speaking so loudly that they didn't hear him. Eventually he climbed down to the deck and ran into the dining hall.

"We have trouble!" he shouted above everyone.

"What wrong, yoi?" Marco questioned as everyone went silent.

"Marines. It looks like Vice Admiral Garp's ship." the guard informed, worry hidden as best as possible.

"G-gramps…?" Ace, Sabo, and Luffy questioned in unison before gulping.

"You have to hide us!" Ace shouted. "If he finds us, he'll take us away to be marines!"

"I don't want to be a marine! I want to be a pirate and stay here with everyone!" Luffy whined.

Everyone looked at the brothers and saw that Ace and Sabo felt the same as Luffy. A need to protect the boys washed over them. Without saying it directly, the boys had practically just told them they wanted to join and be part of the family. There was one thing everyone knew when it came to the Whitebeard pirates. You _never_ mess with their family.

"Thatch, Vista, Haruta. Take the boys to their room and make sure nobody goes in there until I say it's safe, yoi. Make sure nobody sees them." Marco commanded.

"Got it." The three commanders said before each grabbing a boy and running to the brothers room.

"Everyone else, get ready for company, yoi." Marco said, gaining nods from the entire room before everyone left the room and went to the deck.

As soon as everyone was on deck – minus the brothers and three commanders – the marine ship pulled up next to them with Garp standing at the railing directly across from Marco. Within a few seconds, Garp was on the Moby Dick, looking angrier than ever. Immediately, Garp was walking around the deck of the ship looking for someone who looked like they would break with ease and tell him what he wanted. After a few minutes, Garp found himself in front of Marco.

"A pleasure to see you again, yoi. What brings you to our ship?" Marco asked.

"Shut the hell up! I want to know why I got a report of you and the fourth division commander with three boys that sound a lot like my grandsons!" Garp shouted angrily.

"Grandsons? Three boys? Last I heard you only had two grandsons, yoi. One is gone because you didn't do anything to help him, and the other I believe is either with the older or in a coma." Marco said with a glare towards the end.

"Don't give me that! Tell me why you were seen with three boys earlier today!" Garp shouted, getting angrier.

"Yes we were on an island earlier and yes we were with three boys, yoi." Marco said, shocking everyone but nobody showing it. "But they aren't with us. We needed help with buying supplies and they were directing us to the shops we needed to find, yoi."

"Why was I told you went to jewelry stores, hat shops, and a craft store?" Garp questioned.

"After they helped us, we told them we would help them, yoi. They wanted to get some gifts for their parents." Marco stated simply.

"What were their names?" Garp interrogated.

"Blake, Klyde, and Laone." Marco said.

"Describe them." Garp commanded.

"Blake was the oldest and kindest, yoi. He had black hair and brown eyes and was probably about thirteen years-old. Kylde was the second oldest and wanted to avoid books. He had black hair as well and blue eyes. He was about eleven or twelve years-old, yoi. Laone was the youngest and seemed almost anti-social. He had light brown, almost blond, hair and dark eyes, probably onyx. He was about ten year-old I would say, yoi." Marco described.

Every one of the crew stood there with the urge to stare at their captain with wide eyes. They all had been curious as to how Marco had come up with all of this on the spot and not hesitated. What made every one even more curious was the fact that Marco was perfectly calm and treated it like it was the pure and honest truth.

"I see… But if you don't mind, I'd like to check something first." Garp said calmly, confusing even Marco, before shouting. "ACE! SABO! LUFFY! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"

-x-x-x-

As soon as they were given the order, Thatch, Vista, and Haruta had grabbed the three brothers and started running to their room. When they saw Garps ship, all six started to panic a little more and the three commanders ran faster than before. Within moments they were running into the room and closing the door with Thatch silently complaining about how the door didn't have enough locks.

Leaving a mental note to add another three locks to the door, Thatch put down Ace and turned on the lights. Everyone in the room, except Thatch, looked around in shock. The boys didn't know about the changes to the room due to it being a surprise and the two commanders didn't know due to the fact that they weren't helping on it. Thatch only knew because he helped pick out some of the items. Surprisingly it looked bigger than before.

Ace's bed was on the far left. The sheets were black but with a flame print across the entire bottom with embers coming from the flames and randomly spotted over the rest of the black cloth. At the foot of his bed was a black captain's trunk with red linings and orange outlines of flames. In the middle of the room was Luffy's bed with light blue sheets and a pattern that almost resembled the ocean. It was covered with little islands, the red line, the grand line, the new world, and all the blues. In the middle of the 'ocean' was the Moby Dick, which had been painted on by one of the commanders. Just like with Ace's bed, the foot of Luffy's bed had a captain's trunk that looked slightly aged but it just added to the chestnut color. To the far right was Sabo's bed. The sheets were an ivory color and looked to have newspapers on it. It had the names of islands, all the seas, and very famous pirates – excluding the former Pirate King due to how much Ace despised the man. At the foot of the bed was an ebony captain's chest with a lock on it which resembled Sabo's belt buckle.

Next to Sabo's bed was a medium sized bookshelf which was already holding all of Sabo's new books. Next to the book shelf was a wooden desk that wasn't too big but still a good size. On it was a book with a lock on it along with a calligraphy pen. Sabo looked in the drawer on the right of the desk and saw a few different pens and pencils. He looked in the left drawer and found different types of papers along with another book. When he opened the two books he found them to be completely blank. He looked over at Thatch with a questioning look only to get a smile in return and for Thatch to tell him they were for the stories he had dreamed of writing. Sabo smiled and nodded his thanks before writing in the first page.

"When did you get all of this?" Ace asked quietly as he looked over his bed and in his trunk, finding all of his clothes and extra space.

"While we were shopping. A few members of my division were following us and picking up what I bought for you. You like it?" Thatch asked quietly.

"Yes!" Luffy nearly shouted before Haruta covered his mouth, forcing the boy to nod rapidly instead.

Thatch had to hold back his laughter. "What about the Moby Dick on your sheets Luffy? Does it look good?" Thatch asked only to get another nod since the boys mouth was still covered. "You should thank Izo for that. He's the one who painted it."

"Really?" Luffy asked quietly, his voice muffled with Haruta's hand still covering his mouth but slowly lowering. "I will."

"Sabo?" Vista questioned. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing… Even the sheets." Sabo said before turning to Thatch "But I have to ask, how did you get the buckle for the chest?"

"On the island in the jewelry store. The shop owner said it was the symbol of some noble family in East Blue. Which reminds me, how did you get that buckle?" Thatch questioned.

Sabo sighed and was about to answer before he was cut off.

"ACE! SABO! LUFFY! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"

At this, all six jumped in slight fear. The three commanders had wide eyes as they remembered how horrible Garp was in Ace's stories. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy all let out a small whimper of fear as they remember how badly they were beaten from just talking about being pirates. There was no telling if they would survive if Garp found them now. After a few moments, the three boys all heard a very familiar and very terrifying stomping coming from the deck.

"He's gonna find us…" Luffy muttered only to be tackled by the three commanders and his brothers.

All five had their hands on the small boy's mouth in an attempt to keep him quiet. All of them were equally terrified and all felt their hearts pounding so hard they thought the sound of all of them combined would make Garp find them faster. After a few minutes, their hearts went back to their normal paces and they all let out a sigh of relief.

Not even a second later, they all heard heavy footsteps that obviously didn't belong to Marco. After a few moments, the footsteps stopped at the door. Then someone grabbed the door and tried to open it but to no avail due to it being locked by three different locks. Eventually the person stopped trying to open the door and there was complete silence. After a minute of silence, the door was kicked down and launched to the other side of the room.

"There you are." A deep voice said from behind everyone.

All three commanders and all three boys had wide eyes as they recognized the voice and were still getting over the shock of the door being kicked off its hinges. Slowly they all turned towards the door way and stared in fear at the man standing there with a furious look on his shadowed features.

'_Shit._' They all thought in unison as they stared at the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp.

**(Aaaaaaaand done! I just gotta say, Luffy's 'Anchor' shirt will always be funny! XD So the song 'Backfire' by Egypt Central came on when I was looking for pictures of ASL and found a pic of Ace with his back on fire. Convenient? I think not! XD It was funnier than it should have been. I noticed something a while back. For every review this story had, there was a favorite. I'm not shitting you. There were 48 reviews and 48 favorites. Three days later it was 52 reviews and 52 favorites! XD Now I'm kinda sad that it's 52 reviews and 58 favorites. Anyways I was looking over the order you guys wanted me to put people in and I realized that Garp and the Whitebeard pirates were tied so… Tada! XD Sorry I'm still stupid. Always have been, always will be. So I gotta ask, is it normal to barely know how to start a story but to know how to end it? Like I'll be five chapters in and all of a sudden I know how to end it. I did that with one of my others fanfics and I ended around twenty-four chapters XD By the way, the kids Marco was describing aren't real. They were character's I was planning in putting in one of my fanfics but I think I'm just gonna give up on it. It was a D. Gray-man fanfic and wasn't as fun as the original… Whatever. Fave, follow, read Brothers Returned/ The Return of ASL, keep reading this, and please review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 11:00 A.M.**

**End time – 8:00 P.M.**


	9. Garp

Chapter 9: Garp

**(Hey guyz~! Yeah… Already broke that promise about my other story being updated today XD Sorry I just wanted to update this one. I love Garp and his idiocy especially when it comes to the boys. I'll try and update Brothers Returned later on. Wish me luck. On to the crap!)**

As Thatch, Vista, and Haruta turned to face the door, they acted almost as a curtain revealing the boys to Garp. The three brothers were frozen in place once seeing the man in the doorway. Nobody could tell what Garp was thinking. He held a straight face and his eyes were shadowed.

After a few moments, Garp slowly started to walk into the room. As the commanders stood to protect the boys, Garp punched them and knocked them out of the way, further scaring the boys. Once he was in front of the three brothers, Garp knelt down and looked at the boys, his eyes still shadowed.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy all gulped in fear. They tried to back away, to escape, but were stopped when they bumped into the trunk at the foot of Luffy's bed. When they realized they were cornered, they slowly turned back to Garp.

"H-hi J-Jii-chan…" Luffy stuttered in fear.

Garp flinched before grabbing the boys and hugging them. The three brothers were at a loss for words. The Garp they knew would have beaten them, for no real reason either. But this Garp was hugging them. Easy to say they were far beyond confused. After a few moments, the boys started getting worried, almost as if it was the calm before the storm.

"You're really here…" Garp whispered with a small smile. "So the reports weren't lying…"

"Jii-chan…? Are you okay?" Luffy asked.

"Yes. I'm fine. I was just worried about you three." Garp said, not letting the boys go.

"Che. Stupid Jii-Jii." Ace muttered as he turned his head away from the man.

Garp chuckled. "I love you too Ace. I'm sorry for what I did…" Garp said, voice quieting and saddening towards the end.

"Why were you worried? And what'd you do?" Sabo questioned.

Garp was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Nothing you need to know about."

"Then why mention it!?" Ace shouted angrily as he punched Garp in the head with his free arm.

Luffy couldn't help but laugh. "Jii-chan is funny!"

Garp held the boys tighter and closer to him. "I missed you three so much. Never grow up. Stay like this forever." Garp said.

"Che." Ace sounded before trying to get Garp to let go of him.

"Okay!" Luffy shouted happily.

Sabo sweatdropped as he thought '_That isn't possible_' before saying "Okay?"

"Come on. I'm taking you boys home." Garp said as he stood, still not releasing the boys.

"NO!" Ace, Sabo, and Luffy shouted in unison.

"I don't wanna leave!" Ace shouted.

"Please don't make us!" Luffy begged.

"I don't want to go back to that horrible place!" Sabo shouted, slightly panicked.

Garp froze. "What are you talking about…?" he asked slowly and quietly.

"We wanna stay here with everyone! They're really nice and fun. Please don't make us leave." Luffy begged.

"You… Want to stay with pirates instead of going home…?" Garp asked.

Ace and Sabo froze. They knew if they answered truthfully then they would be hit. But apparently someone forgot to tell Luffy.

"Yes!" Luffy shouted.

"Why…?" Garp questioned.

"They promised to protect us! Marco promised me that Ace and Sabo wouldn't get hurt and that we could go on a bunch of adventures. They even gave us our own room!" Luffy said excitedly.

Garp looked around, just now realizing where he was. He noticed the beds were decorated according to what the boys liked. Then he noticed what the boys were wearing and realized they were clothes he'd never seen. Quickly he took notice of Ace's hat and nearly broke into sobs.

"Jii-chan? Why are you crying?" Luffy asked.

"It's nothing, Luffy." Garp said as he put the boys down and wiped his tears away. "Stay right here. I need to talk to someone."

Quickly, Garp turned around and walked away. After a few moments, he was back on deck and facing Marco. The captain's eyes slightly widened when he noticed the few tear stains on Garps cheeks but chose not to say anything.

"We need to talk." Garp said calmly.

Marco was hesitant at first but nodded anyways and started walking towards his quarters. After a minute or so, the two men were in the captain's quarters. Marco was in his usual seat while Garp sat across from him.

"What did you want to talk about, yoi?" Marco asked, already knowing the answer.

"The boys. How did they get here? Why are they kids? How are Ace and Sabo alive? Do they remember anything?" Garp questioned.

Marco sighed. There was a lot to explain.

-x-x-x-

After Garp left the room, the three boys were frozen in shock. They stared at the door wondering if Garp was just messing with him. They even considered the man being someone who just looked like Garp.

"What just happened…?" Ace questioned quietly.

"I have no clue…" Sabo admit.

"That was Jii-chan… right?" Luffy asked.

"I think so…" Ace and Sabo said in unison.

"Ow… My head…" Haruta muttered as he rubbed the now forming bump.

"You can't complain…" Thatch muttered as he sat on the ground, his back and head leaning on the wall.

"What do you mean?" Vista questioned as he sat up from in between Sabo and Luffy's beds.

"Let's just say my back still hurts and being launched at a wall doesn't help…" Thatch informed.

Immediately, the three brothers ran over to Thatch and helped him onto the closest bed, which turned out to be Ace's. Once he was on the bed, Vista lifted the back of his shirt enough to look at the wound. When the wound was revealed, the three brothers eyes widened.

"H-how did you survive from that…? Wouldn't that have punctured your lung?" Sabo questioned.

"Two things; our great doctors and my dumb luck." Thatch said with a chuckle before wincing.

"It reopened. But not enough to be life threatening from what I can tell. Still it would be best to take you to the infirmary." Vista informed.

"Fine." Thatch sighed before slowly sitting up and attempting to stand.

"Don't even try." Ace commanded.

"What?" Thatch asked, slightly shocked.

"You're having a hard time just sitting up. If you try to stand, let alone walk, you could hurt yourself more. I'd rather not have that happen." Ace said with a calm tone but everyone could tell he was worried.

"Alright, you win. But what do you suggest?" Thatch asked.

"I'm sure it would be easier for the doctors to take care of you in the infirmary. So asking them to come here is out of the question." Sabo stated before turning to Vista. "Do you mind carrying him? We could but I'd rather not have him leaning over too much."

"Of course." Vista said before kneeling down beside the bed.

Within seconds, the brothers were on the bed and helping Thatch to move. After Thatch was on Vistas back, the group started heading towards the infirmary. When they walked in, they laid Thatch on one of the vacant beds. Once Thatch was on the bed, Sabo asked Haruta to get one of the doctors. After a few minutes, Haruta came back with a doctor who looked over Thatch's wound.

"What were you doing this time Thatch?" the doctor asked.

"Nothing! Garp punched me and chucked me at a wall! Not my fault he decided to throw me backwards into it…" Thatch whined before pouting.

The doctor sighed. "Really Thatch, do you realize how much you sound like a child right now? And the fact that you were thrown by him doesn't help. It's actually kinda funny." The doctor said with a light chuckle.

"Hey! He's a big guy! And he's seriously strong! I'm lucky to have gotten away with just this!" Thatch complained.

"You're acting more childish than Luffy…" Ace, Sabo, and the doctor said in unison while sweatdropping.

"But I guess you are lucky after all. It just barely reopened. Only the top few layers of skin opened, just enough for it to bleed slightly. You'll be fine in a few days. Stay here for the night and don't do anything too strenuous. When Marco finishes his talk with Garp, I'll tell him you're injured and need rest." The doctor said.

"Marco's talking to Garp? About what?" Thatch asked.

"Don't know. When he came on deck, though, a lot of people thought they saw him crying. He's a weird guy." The doctor said.

"Wait. Garp the Fist was crying?" Haruta questioned.

"Yeah. It was hard to believe." The doctor said.

"Why?" Thatch asked.

"Why do you people think I know everything? I'm just saying what I saw! I can't read minds!" the doctor said before leaving.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Ace muttered.

"Agreed." Everyone in the room said.

-x-x-x-

Garp was leaning on Marco's desk, his head in his hands. His head started to hurt after taking in what Marco knew. Marco made it seem like he knew almost nothing about it but after Garp found the boys, the captain let it all lose. How the boys got to the ship, what the boys had told them, about what time they thought they were in, how they had been running away from people who told them 'lies', even Luffy's fits. Marco had said everything. Somehow, though, Garp was able to take it all in and understand for the most part.

"So that explains the promise Luffy was talking about…" Garp muttered to himself.

"We still don't know if that moment was a small fit or if he actually had a nightmare about their deaths, yoi. Either way we've chosen not to mention it. We don't want to scare him and there's the possibility that he has another fit after hearing it. If that happens, then he'll have another gap in his memory and it'll scare him further, yoi. I'm sure you understand." Marco explained.

"I do." Garp sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… I don't want to put them through any more stress and they seem to trust you. I'll let them stay, but if I hear anything about them getting hurt then I'm taking them far away from here and none of this crew will ever see them again. Do you understand me?" Garp stated with frustration.

"They're part of the family, yoi. Have been for a few years now. We wouldn't let them get hurt. If they did, then our whole family would go after whoever did it, yoi. They're in good hands." Marco informed.

"What do you mean they've been part of your 'family' for a few years?" Garp questioned.

"Ace became our brother a few years ago. When we found out he had a brother, we accepted the kid as part of the family, even before meeting him, yoi. If you're related to one of our brothers or sisters then you're part of the family, unless you refuse it." Marco said.

Garp sighed. "Just make sure they're safe."

With that said, Garp stood and headed back to the deck. Once on deck, he walked to the railing and jumped onto his ship. Within minutes, the ship was far off in the distance.

When Garp was gone, Marco walked back on deck and walked up to one of his brothers. "Do you know where the boys are, yoi?" he asked.

"I think I saw them headed to the infirmary with the three commanders." The man said.

Marco nodded his thanks and headed down to the infirmary. A small sense of worry growing within him. Once he was at his destination, Marco was about to open the door when he heard laughing. Slowly and quietly he opened the door and walked in. Once he was in the room he saw Thatch in one of the many beds, resting against a pillow, with Ace, Sabo, and Luffy sitting on the bed around his feet and Vista and Haruta standing at the sides of the bed.

"Wait that actually happened?" Thatch asked after his laughter calmed.

"Yes! Then we had to beat up the crocodile and fish him out! That wasn't the first or last time either!" Ace shouted with annoyance and a smile.

"Sorry! It's not like I did it on purpose!" Luffy shouted with a pout before Thatch, Vista, and Haruta started laughing again.

"You three are definitely something else. Stick together and I promise it'll get even better." Thatch said.

"Of course we'll stick together! Luffy's weak and we need to protect him you know." Sabo said with a grin.

"Good. Now what about that 'Tiger Lord' I heard of the other day?" Thatch asked.

"Oh _him_. He was nothing we couldn't handle." Ace said with a smirk.

"Sorry to ruin the fun but I thought you should know Garp's gone, yoi." Marco said.

"Marco! Wanna hear about how we beat the Tiger Lord?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Sure, but do you mind telling me why you're in here, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Garp chucked Thatch across the room causing his wound to reopen slightly. It isn't bad but the doctor said he needed to stay the night and not do anything too stressful." Sabo said.

Marco nodded. "So what's this about a Tiger Lord, yoi?" Marco asked with a small smile.

"As I was saying…" Ace said, starting the story.

-x-x-x-

Down the hall, a short ways away from the infirmary, the doctor was listening to the laughter and conversation. After a few moments she pulled a baby Den Den Mushi out of her bag and began dialing an all too familiar number. After a few moments the call was answered by a very familiar voice.

"_Koala? How can I help you?_" the deep male voice asked.

"Hello Dragon-san. Do you mind putting him on the phone? It's very important." The doctor, Koala, asked.

"_And I'm not allowed to hear?_" Dragon asked.

"I would prefer telling him first." Koala stated.

"_Understood. Please wait a moment._" Dragon said before shuffling was heard.

"_You requested to speak with me Miss. Koala?_" a friendly and almost noble voice questioned politely.

Koala giggled. "You won't believe who I just met on the Whitebeard Pirates ship."

"_Oh? Why do I get the sense that you won't tell me?_" The man asked in a playful tone.

"Because I won't. I suggest you see for yourself." Koala said.

"_Understood. Where are you headed now?_" The man questioned.

"I believe we are headed towards Saikai no Shima." Koala giggled. "Very convenient if you ask me."

The man was silent for a moment before replying. "_Alright. Anything else?_"

"Yes. I suggest you call the Strawhat Pirates. I believe they would like to see this as well." Koala said.

"_What does Luffy have to do with this? Koala there are more questions than there are answers. I would like to know what's going on._" The man said almost dangerously.

"I would too. You'll just have to see it in person and tell me what you believe." Koala said.

Before another word could be said, Koala hung up, ending any and all conversation.

**(Aaaaaaaaaaand done! So it's short – sorry – but I updated yesterday so don't complain. By the way, Saikai no Shima means Island of Reunions. Also who do you think Koala was talking to? I told you there would be something major when the Revolutionaries came in~! Don't worry though. This story won't end too soon. But it will end in the low double digits. … That's next chapter… Damn. But trust me, it won't end next chapter. At the very least I would like it to be in the high teens. The shortest I will allow this story to be is about fifteen chapters. I would like it to be in the twenties but no promises. Anyways, fave, follow, keep reading, and review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 10:30 A.M.**

**End time – 2:50 P.M.**


	10. The Call

Chapter 10: The Call

**(Hey guys~! XD The reviews are awesome! But seriously, some of you are overthinking it – and getting sick in Epic's case. My fave reviews being from:**

**EpicAsianOrangeTiger26 – "I want to say Sabo, since they talk to each other in the manga. But that would totally contradict Sabo being a little kid. Too much thinking, I think I might get sick" (Think more. If you get sick you don't have to go to school/work and you can be lazy. Unless you have someone who's like my mom and forces you to go no matter what. In that case, good luck.)**

**RobinLynnSpade – "Eh? Is that… Sabo? But then, little Sabo…? but yay for Koala!" (XD I imagined someone stuttering and pointing at random things like it would help.)**

**scatteredPhilosopher – "I feel like Koala is talking to an older Sabo. o_o But that's obviously not right, because even if Sabo still WAS out there (which the earlier chapters disprove) he'd have turned little again just like Luffy. So… I have no idea. :T" (Good guess. You're over-thinking.)**

**Redery – "Wait, whaaaaaaaat? Is Sabo still alive or something? :O" (Probably my fave reaction. I imagined Luffy trying to think XD)**

**Galymed – "Huuuuuuh? What just happened? o.O I swear every time I think I might have figured out something about the plot, you go and something completely unexpected happens XD." (Trust me. It'll get more confusing.) "And that last part… is it possible that there are more than one Sabo? I'm really confused right now (and even more confused because I cannot predict what's gonna happen next at all) :D" (Good. I'm happy you're confused XD)**

**While I'm saying this, I have someone to yell at. Blueh. Complain about my other stories in PM's or on that story! Not in the reviews of a different story!**

**On a different note, this story is the very first that I have actually planned everything out for! I have enough chapters planned that this will end somewhere in the 20's. That means this story will be finished between a month and three months. One month being if I update twice a week, three months being if I update once a week. Also I wrote a one-shot tragedy loosely based off of the song Life is Beautiful by Sixx:AM. It's called **_**Promise Me You Won't Cry At My Funeral**_**. It's short but people have been crying so… *cough*shamelessadvertising*cough*. Also, **_**Brothers Returned**_** might take a while to update for the main reason I didn't think I should make it; I don't know how to continue! Luffy finds out his brothers are alive and they create ASL is all I could think of! Someone said to mention Luffy on Amazon Lily and have Sanji flip but that's all! That isn't enough for a chapter! *freaking out* I don't want to be glared at! Please don't hurt me. ;-; *tries to stop my head-ache* How about I get to what you came for? On to the crap!)**

It had been a week since the brothers left Sunny, leaving no evidence as to where they were going. Everyone was worried, whether they said it or not. It had gotten to the point where even Zoro and Sanji couldn't fight each other. Nothing was right without their captain there, whether he was a child again or not. Most of the Strawhats had just spaced out on multiple occasions, sometimes for an hour or more.

It was one of those moments. The crew had been laying on deck, all of them spaced out and in their own world. Just then an echo of '_Purupurupuru_' had made itself heard on deck, startling the crew. At the sudden sound, the crew had jumped, either scared or ready to fight. That's when they realized what the sound was.

Slowly, the crew made their way to the source of the sound in the dining hall. The sound echoed almost too loudly on the quiet ship and in the well-sized room.

'_Purupurupuru Purupurupuru Purupurupu- Ca-cha._' The den den mushi sounded as the call was answered.

"Hello?" Zoro answered.

'_Hello. This is the ship of the Strawhat Pirates, correct? Or might I be mistaken?_' An almost gentle and noble voice asked, his final statement said with a slight chuckle.

"Depends. Who's calling?" Zoro replied.

'_My apologies, but I'd rather not say who unless I may speak to your captain. May I speak to Luffy?_' The man asked kindly.

"He isn't here." Zoro said. "Haven't you heard? He disappeared."

'_That can't be right. My informant told me to call you. She said there was something you might like to see as well as I. Might you know what it is?_' The man asked, sounding more like a noble by the second.

Zoro was silent. He had no idea what the man was talking about. Then there came the question; why did the man sound so happy when mentioning Luffy? And what does this man, who sounds like a high ranked noble, know Luffy? And another question; how did the man get their number? It wasn't like they were running around islands screaming 'This is our number! Gives us a call someday!' to the whole god damn world. Very few, if any, people knew the number.

While Zoro was silently asking questions, Nami had decided to voice them. "How do you know Luffy? And why do you sound like a noble?"

Everyone could hear a slight gasp coming from the other end followed by a sigh and a small muttering that sounded something akin to 'I guess their speech did rub off on me after all'.

After a moment of silence, the man replied. '_I suppose the fact that Luffy hasn't stolen the phone or is yelling excitedly in the background would mean he's either asleep or he truly is missing. Although I'm not surprised if he is sleeping. The only thing that wakes him up is the mention of food._' There was a pause, almost as if the speaker were waiting for something. '_Hm… So it's true… Do you have any ideas where he might have gone?_'

"He ran away with his brothers a week ago. We have no idea where he is." Nami stated sadly.

'_Excuse me but did you say 'brothers'?_' the man asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Nami stated cautiously. "Why do you ask?"

'_Please. This joke has gone far enough. Tell me where he is._' The man said, almost as if he were about to panic.

"We aren't joking. Luffy and his two older brothers ran away on one of our boats a week ago." Nami stated.

'_You're wrong!_' the man shouted in panic. '_Luffy only has two brothers and one of them died mere weeks ago at Marineford! Explain to me how he could have run away with a dead brother and a brother he claims to have died ten years ago!_'

"What do you mean by 'claims'?" Robin asked calmly.

There was a few moments of silence before the voice returned. '_At least tell me what their names were. Maybe even a brief description of them._' The man nearly begged.

"Ace and Sabo. Both were ten. Ace had raven hair and freckles covering his cheeks and nose. Sabo was blond with-"

'_With a missing tooth and dressed in a top hat with goggles and a blue tail coat._' The man finished for Robin.

"Correct. How might you have known?" Robin questioned.

The man sighed. '_Why the hell does trouble always have to follow him? He's definitely his father's son…_' he said, avoiding Robin's question.

"Who are you?" Sanji nearly growled. "If I find out you want to hurt them, then I'll personally kill you myself."

'_Now why would I want to do that? I know what they look like because I was there when Ace and Sabo were young._' The man stated, sounding almost as if it were strange to say Sabo's name.

"And you remember it?" Usopp muttered in the background. "Doesn't that seem kinda, oh I don't know, stalker-ish?"

'_Photographic memory. Can't help but remember it. Especially when he wore the same outfit for a few months at least._' The man informed, apparently having heard Usopp's comment.

"You seem to know them the best. Where do you think they would go?" Robin asked.

'_They wouldn't allow Luffy to be in charge, he can't navigate and the two older boys would never let him be in charge. Ace wasn't the best at navigation either. Sabo… He wasn't the worst but neither the best. They would most likely have followed the sun, or moon if it was night._' The man said, still sounding as if he was forcing himself to say 'Sabo'.

"That doesn't help!" Nami shouted.

'_Saikai no Shima._' The man said plainly.

"What?" Chopper asked.

'_Saikai no Shima._' The man repeated.

"Doesn't that mean 'Island of Reunion'?" Brook asked.

'_Indeed. That is also where they are headed. No need to worry for them either. They are with the Whitebeard Pirates._' The man sighed. '_Now I know what Koala had refused to tell me… This is very strange… Although I must say, I wouldn't mind questioning little Sabo…_'

"What are you talking about? Why do you want to question Sabo?" Nami asked.

'_If my presumptions are correct, then Ace was somehow revived and turned into a child, along with Luffy most likely. The odd man out would be Sabo._' The man informed.

"How so?" Robin asked.

'_Because of something quite simple. He didn't die, so he couldn't have been revived as a child. If using Luffy's case of simply reversing in age, then it is impossible as well._' The man stated.

"You're losing me bro." Franky stated.

"Same here." Usopp, Chopper, and Brook said in unison.

"How would that be impossible?" Sanji questioned.

'_Because I am twenty years old._' The man said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"What does that have to do with any of this?" Zoro nearly yelled.

'_Because Luffy is my little brother and Ace my older. I am Sabo._' The man, Sabo, stated.

There was a heavy silence in the room as everyone tried to take in what Sabo said.

"WHAT!?" They all shouted.

Sabo sighed. '_Of course Luffy would get a crew like this…_'

"Sabo-san. Would you mind explaining what you believe is happening?" Robin asked calmly.

'_I'd love to, except I have no idea. Give me some time and I shall inform you of what I find. Until we meet on Saikai no Shima._' Sabo said before hanging up.

"DON'T JUST HANG UP LIKE THAT!" Everyone shouted angrily, Robin choosing to stay calm and instead giggle at the crew's reaction.

-x-x-x-

Thatch woke up the next day with something heavy laying on him. He attempted to open his eyes and see what it was, but instead was blinded by the bright lights reflecting off the pure white walls. After a few attempts, his eyes adjusted and he could see what was on him. Quickly he noticed it wasn't a some_thing _but instead it was a some_one_. That someone turned out to be three small boys spread out on his chest and arms.

Luffy had been the one laying on his chest, fast asleep. Ace and Sabo had their heads on his shoulders and were almost hugging his arms like they were teddy bears. Soon after, he noticed Haruta had been using his own arms as a pillow as they laid crossed on the bed. Directly across from Haruta was Vista, in the same position. All of them asleep.

"They refused to move, yoi." Marco informed, making his presence known.

Thatch turned his head towards Marco and saw him sitting on one of the chairs with the newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"It's alright. I'm just glad Luffy is lighter than I first thought." Thatch whispered, careful not to wake said boy or his brothers.

"You should know, the nurses came in earlier and were taking pictures, yoi." Marco stated, still looking at the paper.

"So that's what the annoying clicking was…" Thatch muttered to himself. "Oh well. Can't really do anything about it now right?"

"I would believe so, yoi." Marco said before taking a sip of coffee.

"What time is it?" Thatch asked.

"Nine o'clock." Marco stated.

"You're really chatty this morning aren't you?" Thatch commented, sarcasm practically dripping off each word.

"I'm trying not to wake them, yoi." Marco said, slightly nodding his head towards the boys that were currently using Thatch as a pillow – or bed in Luffy's case.

With that, Thatch looked back at the boys. Just as he looked, he saw Luffy ball up like a small kitten and gently grab his shirt like a baby would their blanket. Thatch had to fight back the small squeal that tried to escape. He knew it sounded strange, but the small boy was just too cute.

Quickly, Thatch noticed something wrap around his arms. As soon as he looked, he saw the two older brothers had grabbed his arms and were hugging them. They looked so innocent. Thatch almost had a hard time remembering how dangerous these boys were. Almost being the key word. He easily remembered how strong Ace was and how much trouble Luffy had gotten into when he was older. He then remembered hearing how strong Sabo was.

Thatch quickly paled at the thought of three monsters sleeping on him. He was officially terrified for his life. He felt like, if he woke one up, even in the slightest, then all hell would break lose and he would be the first to die. Immediately he felt a small wave of comfort wash over him when he remembered he was still in the infirmary.

"Are you alright, yoi? You're really pale." Marco commented.

"Y-yeah…" Thatch replied before looking at the boys with a worried look and sighing after seeing they were still out cold.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of some kids, yoi." Marco teased.

"It's Ace and Luffy! Plus a kid that's almost as strong as Ace! I'd be crazy if I _wasn't_ scared!" Thatch whispered.

"Ace doesn't have his devil fruit, Luffy can't control his well enough to be of harm, and they are only that strong when they have weapons, which are in their room, yoi." Marco explained.

"… Shut up." Thatch muttered.

"What's with all the talking?" Haruta muttered as he awoke.

"Sorry…" Thatch whispered.

"Our fourth division commander is afraid of kids, yoi." Marco stated.

"That's just sad… Wait, those three or kids in general?" Haruta asked.

"These three." Thatch whispered as he eyed said boys.

"I take it back. You're a smart man." Haruta said.

Marco sighed. "Of all things, why are you afraid of three children, yoi?"

"They aren't just children Marco! They're monsters! They're scary strong! I was sparring with Sabo the other day and I would have lost if Luffy hadn't run out being chased by Ace!" Haruta whispered, remembering the moment perfectly.

"You do realize how weak that makes you sound, correct, yoi?" Marco asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"… Shut up." Haruta muttered.

There were a few moments of silence. The only sounds coming from either Marco, as he either sipped coffee or turned a page, or the three boys who were quietly snoring. Vista laying there soundlessly. After a minute or two of not hearing anything from the man, nor seeing him move slightly due to his chest raising and falling from breathing, Thatch and Haruta started worrying. Soon enough, Haruta had walked over to Vista and started poking him. When he rolled his shoulder to make the other stop, Haruta and Thatch let out a breath they hadn't known they were holding.

Shortly after, Vista had woken up. After seeing Marco had finished his coffee, Vista decided to grab a mug for himself and refill the captains at the same time. Quietly he opened the door, walked through, and closed it, leaving the room.

After a few short moments, Thatch, Haruta, and Marco started to hear some light groans. After a few seconds, they realized the sounds were coming from Ace. As they watched the boy for a few more moments, they noticed him flinch and tighten his grip on Thatch's arm. Thatch had to bite his lip to prevent himself from making any noise. The kid was strong, even in his sleep.

"…Oyaji…" Ace murmured in his sleep.

Immediately, Marco, Haruta, and Thatch had wide eyes and were staring at Ace. At first they thought they were just hearing things, but then Ace had said it again, this time slightly louder. Soon enough, the commanders were worried. Had the boy remembered?

"I'm sorry… Oyaji… Everyone…" Ace muttered, a small tear rolling down his face and onto Thatch's arm.

"Ace…" Thatch whispered.

"Thank you…" Ace began.

As if knowing what he was going to say, Luffy had moved and hit Ace just hard enough for him to stop speaking. Soon they saw a small smile on Ace's face along with a few more tears streaming. Then they noticed Luffy who was laying on Thatch still, but was now holding the cloth in his hand tighter, along with having tears streaming down his face and onto the man. Luffy was crying more than Ace and had been searching for comfort from Thatch.

Thatch wanted nothing more than to hug the boy and get him out of whatever dream that was causing him to react this way, but he couldn't. Ace had been holding his left arm too tightly to where he could just barely feel his hand, while Sabo was also holding his opposite arm, but not as tightly. He wanted to tell the boy to wake up, but that would have woken up the other two. Help the youngest and risk being murdered by the older two, or leave the boy in his nightmare? The choice was easier than he expected.

"Oi… Luffy. I need you to wake up now." Thatch called out.

Instead of waking up, Luffy readjusted so that he was almost completely face down. His head was on its side, facing Ace, and resting over Thatch's heart. Slowly, the boys face changed from a deep frown to a small smile. Thatch smiled as well. At least the boy wasn't crying anymore.

About thirty minutes later, the boys started waking up. First Sabo, followed by Ace. At first Ace had been reluctant until he realized where he was, what he was hugging, and who it was attached to. Ace still had a small blush of embarrassment on his freckled cheeks as he moved to wake Luffy. As soon as he saw the small smile on the boys face, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he just pet the boys head, causing the small smile to grow slightly.

As Ace started to pull his hand away, Luffy started to lean closer to Ace. Once Ace noticed this, he smiled slightly before grabbing the boy off the commanders chest and setting Luffy down in his lap. Quickly, Luffy had wrapped his arms around Ace and vise-versa. Ace seemed to be in another world as he stared at his little brother's face with a small smile of his own.

"Never thought I'd say this… But… Sometimes I miss these moments…" Ace muttered.

"What moments?" Thatch whispered as he slowly sat up.

"Moments where… he's just so out of it that he's actually calm." Ace commented.

It was quiet for a few moments as Ace gently rocked the boy in his arms. Everyone in the room knew Ace would deny this ever happened. They didn't want to ruin it for the boys. Slowly, Ace's small smile grew into a fond one, as if remembering something. Soon enough though, the smile left and turned into a straight face.

"Ace…?" Haruta whispered.

Ace gently shook his head. "Just remembering the last time we did this… Right after Luffy had been picked on by some noble brats. They started to attack him and he wouldn't fight back. When they pulled out knives was when I finally stepped in and beat them up. We went back to our cliff and sat like this, watching the stars. Then they started moving and we realized at least half of them were fireflies. They were so beautiful…" Ace said, his smile returning.

"Then I started asking why they were called fireflies when they weren't on fire. We spent way too long talking about that." Luffy added with a small smile of his own, letting everyone know he was awake.

"Yeah… I think I was remembering that when I was trying to think of new moves. That would definitely explain Hotarubi Hidaruma." Ace said with a small chuckle.

"W-what did you just say…?" Marco stuttered.

Ace lifted his head to look at Marco and nearly burst out laughing. "What's with the face Marco? I've never seen your eyes so wide. It's honestly a little scary."

"A-Ace…?" Thatch muttered.

Ace looked at Thatch before grinning and nodding slightly. "Gotta go. See ya guys soon." Ace said before he looked at Luffy with a smile and closed his eyes.

"W-wait! A-Ace!" Haruta called out as he grabbed the boys shoulder.

Ace's eyes shot open and looked at Haruta. The eyes he once knew fading back to the childish ones that had been there for the past week. Slowly he took his hand off the boys shoulder and sat down in one of the chairs next to him.

"Ace? Why are you hugging me?" Luffy asked innocently.

Quickly Ace looked down and saw he was, in fact, still holding the child. Soon enough, Luffy was on the bed with Ace's back to him. Ace trying to get rid of the blush of embarrassment on his face, not looking at anyone.

As soon as Ace was looking away, Marco and Thatch looked at each other, holding a silent conversation with their eyes. First Luffy, now Ace. Just what was going on?

-x-x-x-

Koala looked out at the ocean. Even though she saw it every day, she still loved to stare at it. But this reason was different. In the distance, she could see the dark outline of an island. She knew which it was too. Saikai no Shima.

"LAND HO!" the man in the crows nest shouted.

Koala's smile widened. This was going to be very interesting.

**(Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! When writing this I remembered something. The other day, my idiotic friends started talking about how a koala has two penis' and I immediately thought of Koala from One Piece XD It was funny but also terrifying. So I know I confused you guys more. Good! If I didn't then I know I'm doing a crap job at this. But don't worry. It is planned! Gonna be honest though, the Ace part **_**wasn't**_** planned. I didn't even think I would have Ace go through the same thing as Lu. I know I wanted to at first but I think I decided against it. Can't remember why… Also, I've been getting ideas for fanfics more often. The one-shot was an idea but an extremely short one. I have an idea that's actually partially planned and somewhat long. Basically, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy (Yes another ASL. Shut up. I love them.) go to the same high school. Ace and Sabo are best friends. Ace absolutely despises Luffy and Luffy doesn't know if he hates Ace too or not. Eventually, in their shared history class, they see pictures of Ace, Sabo, and Luffy along with everyone who had something to do with the famous pirates. Once seeing the pictures and hearing how close they were to each other, they question everything. That's just the basics. Sounds kinda like any other ASL fic right? Well add some visions and other confusing shit and it's mine XD Also I want to make an actual ASL and Whitebeard fic but that'll take some time. As usual fave, follow, keep reading, read my other shit, and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Question: What gender do you think Haruta is?**

**Start time – 10:30 P.M.**

**End time – 3:20 A.M.**


	11. Saikai no Shima

Chapter 11: Saikai no Shima

**(Hey guyz~! So I'm kinda upset… I bought Law's nodachi and ended up getting a wooden sword that's falling apart and has a huge crack in the sheathe. That's forty dollars down the drain… And I have a massive head-ache. But I will update! So let's do this. On to the crap!)**

The Strawhats stood there in silence. After the man said his name and hung up, they didn't know what to think or say. One thing was obvious though; they were all confused. The Sabo they knew was a ten year-old with Ace and Luffy and yet this man, who said he was twenty, said he was Sabo.

"H-he was lying… right?" Chopper stuttered, breaking the silence.

"I would believe so." Robin said quietly.

"But… How did he know about Sabo? Neither Ace nor Luffy mentioned him so how did a stranger know about the kid?" Nami questioned.

"He said he was there when they were young. Maybe that part was the truth." Brook stated.

"He sounded like he knew a lot about them, so it has to be true." Sanji commented.

"But wouldn't he have been ten years old as well back then? How did he remember?" Usopp asked.

"Photographic memory. It was his reasoning, at least." Robin reminded.

"But why didn't Luffy tell us anything about his brothers? I mean, if we didn't meet Ace then we wouldn't have known Luffy had a brother." Chopper asked.

"Do you want to share every bit of your past? Do you want to be reminded of every horrible moment including your brothers death?" Zoro questioned.

Chopper immediately understood and put his head down sadly. He had lost someone and didn't want to remember the mans death. It was too sad and he didn't want to talk about it.

"But I'm curious. The boys aren't related so how are they brothers?" Usopp asked.

"Adoption, most likely." Nami said bluntly.

"Stop asking stupid questions, Usopp." Sanji said.

"Sorry…" Usopp apologized.

"He said the bros were headed to Saikai no Shima… Should we go? It might be a trap." Franky asked.

"It's the best lead we've got. We have to go. Everyone ready the ship. We're headed to Saikai no Shima." Zoro ordered.

Everyone nodded and immediately ran out of the room to do their parts.

-x-x-x-

After hearing the shout of a new island, Vista smiled and headed back to the infirmary with the two cups of freshly brewed coffee. Quietly, he opened the door and saw everyone was awake. Marco, Thatch, Haruta, and Sabo all looked shocked. Luffy was pouting at Ace while he had his back to the younger, trying to hide a small blush.

"What'd I miss?" Vista asked, breaking the silence.

"Where have you been!?" Thatch shouted.

"I had to make a fresh batch of coffee." Vista replied.

"It does not take more than thirty minutes to do so, yoi." Marco said before he took his mug from Vista and drank half of it instantly.

"A lot of people wanted coffee. More than usual." Vista explained.

Thatch sighed and looked at the group around him, eyes stopping on Haruta. "Oi, Haruta. Wake up." Thatch said, waving his hand in front of the other commanders face.

"Huh?" Haruta sounded.

"Don't space out like that. It's freaky." Thatch said.

"Whatever." Haruta muttered.

"On a different note, we've spotted land." Vista said with a smile.

"Really!?" Ace, Sabo, and Luffy shouted in excitement.

"Yes. We should be docking within the hour." Vista informed.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted before chanting the word 'adventure' repeatedly.

"Luffy, calm down. Remember where you are." Sabo commanded, reminding the boy that they were still in the infirmary.

"Oh. Sorry." Luffy whispered.

"Good." Sabo said with a smile.

"Oh! Ace! What do you think the island is gonna be like? Do you think it'll have a big forest like at home? Or maybe like the last island? I hope it's like home. I wanna run around but I also wanna meet more people." Luffy rambled loudly, already forgetting what Sabo said.

"Don't know. I wouldn't mind some hunting though." Ace said.

"Yeah. I'm feeling kinda rusty." Sabo said with a smirk.

"We need to train more often now that I think about it." Ace muttered. "He haven't been sparring a lot recently."

"Oh yeah." Sabo mumbled.

"We'll check out the island, spar a bit if it has a forest, explore a bit, and then come back and spar here if we can't there." Luffy said.

Everyone looked to Luffy with wide eyes. Their first thought, Luffy having had another fit, was pushed aside when they realized his eyes were still childish ones instead of the hard and mature they were worried, or scared, of.

"What'd you say, yoi?" Marco asked, still not believing the younger boy was saying this.

"Go to island. Spar if forest. Explore. Spar here if no forest." Luffy said as if speaking to a baby.

"Luffy? Are you alright? Did you finally learn how to think?" Ace asked slowly.

"I don't know. Did I?" Luffy asked, confused.

"He's fine…" Sabo said with a sweatdrop.

Everyone in the room, excluding Luffy and Sabo, all nodded while sweatdropping.

An hour later, everyone was on deck and helping with docking the ship, except the brothers and Thatch. When the island had come into view, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy all started getting excited. The island looked a lot like what they had agreed would be the perfect place for them to visit. One-third forest, one-third mountain, and one-third plains. Although, the plains were mostly covered by a large city. When they had caught a glimpse at a giant boar at the edge of the forest, the boys were even happier.

When they had finished docking, the boys had nearly jumped off and headed to the forest. Or so they would have if Thatch, Marco, and Vista hadn't grabbed them first. Ace was angry that they couldn't leave yet and started his attempt at attacking the man holding him, which turned out to be Marco. Sabo tried to stay calm but failed badly and started yelling at Vista to let him go. Luffy was the only one who stayed quiet and chose to just watch his brothers argue with the men.

"Thatch. You can put me down. I won't run." Luffy whispered, loud enough for only the man holding him to hear.

"Promise?" Thatch questioned quietly.

Luffy nodded. "I don't want to hurt you more."

"What do you mean?" Thatch asked.

"You're back still hurts right? And I'm sure I'm heavy. I don't want my friends to be in pain because of me." Luffy explained.

"You're a good kid Luffy." Thatch whispered as he put the boy down, making sure to hold Luffy's hand in case the boy tried to make a run for it.

Luffy and Thatch watched quietly as Ace and Sabo kept yelling at Marco and Vista to let go of them. Eventually the boys started using their pipes as weapons against the men holding them. Neither of the boys looked like they would be winning any time soon.

After some time, Luffy got bored of watching his brothers arguing and instead focused on the sweet scent that filled his senses.

"Hey Thatch?" Luffy asked, looking up at said man.

"Yeah?" Thatch asked, looking at Luffy.

"I smell cookies… Can we go get some?" Luffy asked.

"Sure. Lead the way little buddy." Thatch said with a smile.

Luffy smiled and, much to Thatch's surprise, walked slowly off the ship. Thatch had been expecting the boy to sprint away and force Thatch to run after him. But then he remembered what Luffy said. Had his injury really effected the boy this much?

After some time, Luffy and Thatch had made it to the small bakery in the city. The woman that owned the shop had been kind enough to let Luffy try one of her fresh baked cookies for free. Luffy thanked the woman before breaking the cookie in two and giving half to Thatch. Both of the boys were amazed at the taste and had asked for more. In the end, they got two boxes of cookies for only half the price.

After they got their treats, Luffy and Thatch decided to look around the city. Thatch had stopped at a few shops to pick up either the finest ingredients or a few additions to his arsenal of cooking supplies. Luffy didn't mind stopping. In his mind, the better the ingredients and utensils, the better the food.

Soon though, they had to return to the ship and drop off what they got. It wasn't much, but Luffy didn't allow Thatch to carry too much and Luffy was unable to carry a lot due to his size. When they returned to the Moby Dick, they saw Ace and Sabo finally on their feet, but still fuming about what happened. When Thatch and Luffy returned to the deck, they saw Ace, Sabo, and Marco waiting for them.

Quickly, the group of five left the ship and went looking around the rest of the city. After a half hour of random shopping, the smell of fresh bread was in the air. They followed the smell and found the same baker as before. Luffy and Thatch smiled at this while the other three looked confused. When they enter the shop, the woman smiled to them and welcomed them again.

While talking with the baker, everyone had gotten some free samples of breads, cookies, brownies, cakes, or donuts. The samples were small but still held an amazing amount of flavor. After Ace and Sabo started saying how great everything was, the woman giggled. It took a few minutes, but eventually Ace and Sabo made up their minds as to what they each wanted most. After taking their orders and giving the group what they wanted, the woman gave them most of their orders for free. Thatch and Marco were shocked by this. They felt as if they had just stolen all of this woman's goods.

When the two grown men asked if it was alright to pay so little for so much, the woman told them she was fine with it. All because she liked the boys so much. In return, Marco gave the woman a large tip since she wouldn't take any money otherwise. The baker was shocked by the amount, even saying it was enough to pay for her house and shop for a few months. Marco just smiled and told her there would most likely be more of the crew there later. She thanked him for the service before the group left.

Soon enough, they were back at the ship with another load of baked goods. When some of the crew asked them about why there were so many boxes from a bakery, Marco just told them the address to the bakery and to say they knew each other. After looking at the captain curiously, the crew shrugged it off and went where Marco had said. After some time, the boxes of baked goods were put away. Ace and Sabo had written their names on their boxes so nobody else would take their goods. Luffy couldn't help but laugh at how possessive his brothers were being when it came to donut holes and mini brownies.

After eating a proper, none sweets based lunch, the group went back out to look around the island. Their main goal was to find a good place for the boys to spar. Instead they were caught up with fighting the large animals that inhabited the forest. When the three boys saw the actual size of the boars, they were pretty upset. The animals were big, but not as big as back home. After an hour of fighting nothing but small fry that even Luffy could knock out, they had started to lose hope for the islands animal population. That is, until they finally found what the boys had been hoping for. In the middle of a clearing was a massive boar, nearly the size of the famed Tiger Lord back home.

Once they saw its size, the boys started getting excited. Marco and Thatch looked on in worry as they saw the boys run at the massive beast. After a few minutes though, the men were surprised. The three boys had taken down the massive boar that was at least ten times their size.

Quickly the boys stopped their celebrating when they heard a familiar sound. A large river was nearby. Immediately, the boys ran to the river and found a good amount of crocodiles. After some searching, the three of them found which ones they each thought was the largest. There were three that tied. After a few moments, all the smaller crocs were out cold. All that was left were the three biggest.

Each of the boys took the one they thought was larger. Within a minute, the three largest were laid side by side on the shore. It took a little while but in the end, they found out the only difference between the three was about an inch or two. Surprisingly, Luffy's had been the largest.

Very soon, Marco and Thatch came out of the bushes with the giant boar in tow. When the men saw all the dead or unconscious crocs, they were amazed. Then they saw the boys standing next to the three biggest crocs. After a few moments, they saw Luffy celebrating while Ace looked angry and Sabo was laughing at how he had gotten the smallest. The two men were impressed to say the least.

When they realized how close it was to sunset, they decided to head back. The three boys each grabbed their own crocodile and started to drag the beasts towards the ship, Marco still dragging the boar. They couldn't help but think about how lucky they were to find another trail that led to the ship while avoiding the city. None of them wanted to explain how three small boys had caught such large animals.

When they got back to the ship, they couldn't help but laugh. Everyone on deck had their jaws on the floor at the sight of the beasts. The second reason for the small group to laughing being the fact that most of the people on deck had a small bag from the bakery they visited earlier.

Once they had put the beasts in a safe place, where it would wait to be cooked, they returned to the deck. Ace and Sabo immediately noticed two of the crew members holding their small boxes of goods. Instantly, the two pirates were attacked by the boys for stealing their food. Everyone was laughing but also felt sorry for the two men. But they should have known better.

Once the two men were unconscious, and most likely would be for the next few hours, Ace and Sabo found that not even a crumb was left in their boxes. Quickly, Luffy told them about the cookies he and Thatch had bought. The three boys ran to the kitchen as fast as possible, hoping the treats would still be there. Sadly, when they arrived, they found two empty boxes of what used to hold cookies.

Instantly, the three brothers were back on deck in front of Thatch and Marco. The boys asked if they could go back to the bakery and buy some padlocks while on the way, accidently reminding Thatch of his personal note of adding locks to the boys door. Without hesitation, Thatch agreed and took the boys back to the bakery while Marco scolded the crew. The baker immediately bowed to Thatch and the boys as they entered and gave them replacements to their stolen goods. The woman said everything was free because, in total, the crew might as well have paid for her house and shop for the next ten years. They were all grateful to each other, the boys and Thatch for the goods and the woman for the money and business.

On the way back to the ship, Ace and Sabo had been eating their goods so the food wouldn't get stolen again. A few blocks away from the bakery was a hardware shop. When they enter the shop, the first thing they saw was the vast array of tools which seemed like far more than what was necessary. Soon they found the shop owner and asked about padlocks. In the end, they walked out with a padlock for Ace and Luffy's trunks, three for their door, a few for some of the cabinets, and one for the fridge, a total of at least six locks. After saying how many they needed, the shop owner had given them three for free. Thatch couldn't help but think about how generous the people of this city were.

When they got back to the ship, Ace and Sabo's boxes of goods were empty and both were smiling. When the two boys heard that the two men they beat up wouldn't wake until tomorrow, they were even happier.

As soon as he stepped foot onto the ship, Thatch had went straight to the kitchen and started hooking the padlocks onto the fridge and a few cupboards that he put his most important and favorite ingredients and spices in. Next he put the padlocks on the door that led to the boys room. The last two locks were ones the Ace and Luffy had picked out. He put the chosen lock on the correct trunk. Ace's lock was a black antique with a red 'A' in the center on both sides while Luffy's lock was an antique bronze with a skull and cross bones on it. Sabo chose not to get a lock since he was happy with the one that was already there. After putting the locks on, Thatch put a little tag on the correct key, saying which lock it went to, then put the keys in the top drawer of Sabo's desk.

With nowhere to go, the three brothers went to the dining hall and waited for their boar to be turned into dinner. After some time, the silence became awkward.

"When we were in town…" Luffy muttered, breaking the silence almost as soon as it became uncomfortable.

"You noticed it too?" Ace asked.

"Noticed what, yoi?" Marco asked, causing the boys to look at him and notice Thatch next to him.

"When we were in town, I noticed we were being watched. I didn't see who or from where but I could feel it." Sabo informed.

"It felt like I was prey and a beast was hunting me… It felt so weird…" Ace muttered.

"It could have been the people. We aren't exactly the most casual or well hidden people. We are famous pirates after all." Thatch commented.

"That's not what it felt like though. I know what it's like to have people stare at you like you were a freak. This wasn't like that though… It felt almost like someone was following and hunting us. It was almost scarier than being in between the giant bear and Tiger Lord…" Luffy muttered.

"Exactly." Ace and Sabo said in unison.

"Ease up. Have something to eat when dinner's ready then go to bed. We'll figure it out tomorrow. No need to worry. Remember your family's here." Thatch said with a smirk.

"Okay! Thanks." Luffy said with a smile while his brothers nodded and smiled.

-x-x-x-

On top of a large building, a man stood and stared in the direction of the giant ship with the whale figurehead. His navy blue tailcoat swaying gently in the breeze as his black top hat slowly began to fall off his head. Gently, he grabbed the edge of the old and burnt top hat, pulling it down and onto his head more, stopping it just above his dark blue eyes.

"So you made it." A voice said from behind him.

The man turned around and looked at the owner of the voice. "Koala. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"Would you have believed me if I said I found younger versions of you and your brothers?" Koala asked with a small smirk.

"It's my brothers we're speaking of. How does one get stabbed through the stomach with a poisonous hook and still survive?" the man asked.

"Touché. But now that you've seen them, what do you think?" Koala asked.

"My younger self truly is the odd one out. Ace and Luffy would know that isn't me. They're most likely being manipulated. I still don't understand how Ace had been brought back or how they were turned into kids and lost their memories." The man said.

"How do you explain the little you then?" Koala asked curiously.

"Most likely a Devil Fruit. There have been some that allow the user to change their appearance. Even some that allow the user to change the age of someone else. We can't rule out that belief. There just isn't enough information at the moment to figure out the cause of this incident." The man said.

"True. Oh and by the way, you're showing your origins through speech again, Sabo." Koala said teasingly.

"My apologies. My first ten years, I was forced to learn how to use formal speech. Along with how often I've had to be formal in the past ten years, it's become quite the bad habit." The man, Sabo, explained.

"Alright. Can you try to lighten up on it? Sometimes it's hard to understand." Koala stated.

"I'd rather not attempt it. Especially after what happened last time." Sabo said.

"Last time?" Koala asked.

Sabo sighed. "I attempted to stop my bad habit and wasn't able to give a true and convincing speech when it was needed."

"So… You're just doing this because it's fun and you know it annoys me, aren't you?" Koala questioned.

"Indeed. Very smart, mademoiselle." Sabo said with a playful bow.

"Stop it." Koala said with a smile. "Shouldn't you be more focused on your brothers and doppelganger rather than teasing me?"

"They know I'm watching them. I made it fairly obvious. They'll most likely be hiding away for the rest of the night then try and find me tomorrow." Sabo stated.

"And?" Koala asked.

"We'll see then. Just you wait." Sabo said with a smirk.

'_Just you wait._'

**(Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! Yay! What'd you think? Sorry if it was shit. I may or may not have been distracted by manga half way through… Sad part is, it wasn't even One Piece manga so I lost my train of thought… But I got it back and was able to finish the chapter! By the way, the whole bakery thing was because I was eating Albertson's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Those things melt in your mouth dude! I love them! Sorry for Luffy's OOC-ness. I just thought he would think more if it was about his friends or important. What'd you think about Ace and Sabo reacting to their donuts and brownies being taken? Just wondering but, did anyone notice the fact that Thatch actually kept his promise to himself? I wanted to change it to only one padlock but then I remembered I said three… Also, what did you think about the end? Pay close attention to what Sabo says. Half of what he says is the truth, the other half are complete lies. Try to figure out which it is. Fave, follow, read my other stuff, and review! Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 11:00 P.M.**

**End time – 3:30 A.M.**


	12. Sabo

Chapter 12: Sabo

**(Hey guyz~! I'm back! Surprisingly, Saturday School wasn't that bad. My friend was with me and we played random card games for four hours XD Mostly 'Go Fish' though… Still. It was kinda fun. But I don't want to go back. So, since I was playing cards and reading One Piece the whole time, I didn't get to write a chapter. So I'm starting late. Oops. Oh well. On to the crap!)**

When dinner was finished cooking, the entire Whitebeard crew had gone to the dining hall. Within seconds of the people flooding in through the doors, the conversations started back up. Everyone spoke about random things. Eventually some of the men started talking about cute girls they saw in the village, causing the women to get angry and punch them in the heads.

After a few minutes, people started talking about the meat and how good it was. Everyone started yelling for more and asking Thatch where he got the great ingredients. Every time the question was brought up, Thatch just said for them to ask the three youngest members of the ship.

Soon enough, there was a large crowd around the three boys. The boys looked at each other, all with bored expressions before shrugging.

"There's nothing to tell." The brothers said in unison, boredom lacing every word.

"What do you mean there's nothing to tell?! I saw you three carrying huge animals by yourselves like it was nothing!" A crewman shouted.

"Yeah. They were weak. Back home, we fought crocodiles at least twice that size every day." Luffy stated before taking another bite out of his meat.

"Seriously!?" Most the crew yelled, excluding the commanders.

"Yeah. Those things were nothing but small-fry. It's actually pretty sad how weak they were." Ace muttered carelessly.

"You know they're weak if even Lu can take them out. It's saddening really." Sabo said with a small smirk and chuckle.

"Sabo!" Luffy whined. "That's mean! You know I'm strong!"

"Sure… Whatever you say Lu…" Sabo muttered quietly as he went back to staring at the table.

"It actually was pretty sad. They all went down in only a few seconds. Even Lu's went down pretty fast." Ace said.

"Maybe he's stronger than you think." A crewman said with a smirk, obviously remembering the older Luffy.

"Yeah right. He couldn't fight to save his life." Ace stated as the man who spoke up was punched in the head by another crewmate.

"Why'd you punch him?" Luffy asked, suddenly appearing next to the man who spoke up and the man that punched him.

"He had a fly on his head. I was getting it off." The puncher said, slightly nervous.

After a few moments of Luffy staring at the man, the boy grinned. "Okay! You're really nice!"

"He's so gullible…" Sabo muttered quietly to himself, accidently speaking loud enough for Ace to hear.

"Sabo?" Ace questioned. "You aren't acting like yourself. You okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just thinking about when we were in town." Sabo stated as he looked at Ace.

"What happened in town?" Vista asked calmly.

"While we were walking around, we all felt like someone was following us. Almost like they were hunting us. It's hard to stop thinking about it." Ace said.

"If it's bothering you so much then how about this, yoi? We go back to town tomorrow and have a few of the crew follow us. If the person follows you again, then the others will catch them, yoi." Marco suggested.

"I don't know… It sounds kinda dangerous…" Sabo muttered.

"You don't think we can do it?" Haruta asked, faking hurt.

"T-that's not it! I-I mean…" Sabo stuttered before sighing.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be careful and make sure you don't get hurt or caught." Thatch informed as he walked through the crowd and up to the table.

"I think the only one we need to worry about, when it comes to injuries, is you Thatch." Sabo said with a smirk.

"Hey! Not my fault your gramps is crazy…" Thatch pouted, causing everyone to laugh.

After about an hour of talking about random topics, Sabo quietly stood from the table and left the room. The only ones who noticed were Ace, Luffy, Marco, and Thatch. All four deciding to stay instead of follow, believing the boy just wanted some privacy.

'_He would have said something if he wanted to talk_.' The four thought in unison.

-x-x-x-

Slowly and quietly, Sabo walked through the halls of the Moby Dick. His eyes glazed over with boredom and hidden annoyance as he inspected the lower levels. After some time, he was at the very back and in a small room he had found. He had claimed the room as his own on the first day they were there. He liked it mostly for the fact that it seemed nobody went that far into the ship.

"Damn it…" Sabo muttered as he enter the small wooden room.

Quickly he walked over to the small desk and pulled out a notebook and pen. He sat on the old chair and began flipping through the notebook. After a few moments, he had gotten to the last written page and read it over carefully.

"This isn't right… What did I miss?" Sabo muttered in annoyance as he kept reading.

After a few minutes, Sabo threw the notebook at the wall then threw the pen, causing it to stick into the wooden door.

"Damn it! How is this happening!? What is going on!?" Sabo yelled to himself.

There were a few moments of silence before Sabo groaned and opened the door, slamming it angrily as he left the room.

-x-x-x-

Quickly and quietly, Sabo snuck into the room he shared with his brothers and attempted to get into his bed and sleep. Instead he was stopped when the light suddenly turned on, causing him to freeze.

"Sabo?" Luffy called out from behind said boy. "Where'd you go?"

"What do you mean, Lu?" Sabo asked slowly as he turned to the younger boy, instead coming face to face with Ace.

"We were having fun when all of a sudden you started spacing out. Then you left for no reason. What the hell?" Ace questioned.

"I wasn't feeling that good and wanted some fresh air. That's all." Sabo stated.

"Then why did I see you going below deck?" Luffy asked.

"H-huh?" Sabo sounded.

"I was worried and wanted to know what was wrong. I saw you heading below deck. What'd you do down there Sabo?" Luffy questioned.

"Nothing. I was just taking a walk." Sabo said.

"I thought you said you weren't feeling good." Ace said with slight suspicion.

"Everyone was crowding us. I wasn't feeling well because of the cramped space." Sabo informed.

"Here's another question for you; why do you keep disappearing?" Ace questioned.

"What do you mean?" Sabo asked.

"Every once in a while, we want to talk to you or play or something, but we can never find you. Where do you go?" Luffy asked.

"Nowhere. I just walk around. Now if you would please, I'm getting tired and I would like to sleep." Sabo said before turning around and walking over to his bed.

Quickly, the blond got into his bed and turned to face the wall, his back to the rooms other two occupants. After a few moments, Ace sighed and went to his bed, laying so his back was to his brothers. Luffy stood in the center of the room and looked between his two brothers. Luffy sighed before getting into his bed and laying so he faced the ceiling.

"Good night…" Luffy whispered.

"Night." Ace and Sabo muttered in unison by accident.

For the next few minutes, there was nothing but silence as Luffy stared at the ceiling above him. Slowly, he fell into the dark abyss known as sleep.

-x-x-x-

The next morning, the happenings of the night before were nearly forgotten. Quickly, the three boys ran to the dining hall and began their breakfast. When they had finished eating, they ran out to the deck and quickly saw Marco and Thatch smiling at them.

Soon enough, the group of five was back on land and walking around the streets. Quickly they found a craft store, a clothing store, a weapons smith, and later the same baker as from the day before. When they got to the baker, they were all slightly saddened when they saw someone else working the shop instead of the woman from before.

"Excuse me? Where's the woman from yesterday?" Thatch asked.

"What woman? And what are you talking about? I'm the only person who works here and my shop was closed yesterday." The owner said.

"Then… Who was that girl?" Ace questioned quietly.

"You think she works with the guy who's following us?" Sabo asked.

"Possibly. We don't have enough information on that just yet though, yoi." Marco said before turning back to the shop owner. "My apologies. Thank you for your time, yoi."

Quickly, the group left the shop and continued looking around. Every once in a while they would see something they thought was cool, or a shop they didn't see the day before and check it out. After an hour of walking around, they all felt as if they were being hunted. For the next thirty minutes, they acted as though they hadn't noticed and just kept walking around.

-x-x-x-

After nearly two hours of following the small group, Vista and Haruta had decided now was the time to act. Quickly, the two ran across rooftops and easily caught up to the follower. When they had landed on the same roof as the follower, the man stood and faced them.

He was dressed entirely in different shades of blue and slightly like a noble. The only things that weren't blue were his black top hat, which carried blue goggles, his white shirt and cravat, which were mostly covered by a navy blue tail coat with rolled up sleeves, and his black boots, which were barely covered by his navy blue pants. Even his eyes were the same color as his coat and pants.

"Good morning. Can I help you?" the man said in a gentle voice as he bowed his head slightly.

"Why are you following them?" Vista questioned, immediately getting to business.

"Simple. I would like to know a thing or two about them. That is all." The man said with a small smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruta asked with slight annoyance.

The man chuckled. "Now, why would I tell you?"

"Excuse me?" Haruta questioned with some anger and annoyance.

"How am I to explain to you what I don't know? It seems impossible to do so, correct?" The man asked, genuinely curious.

"Speak English!" Haruta shouted with annoyance.

The man sighed. "There's something about those boys that is different. I want to know what and how. If I don't know about it, then I can't explain it." He said slowly.

"I'm not stupid!" Haruta shouted with anger and was about to launch at the man but was stopped by Vista.

"What makes you think there's something different about them?" Vista asked.

"Simple. That's Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy when they were ten and seven years old. I would like to know how they are young again. I'd also like to know how Ace is alive." The man said.

"Who are you? How do you know them?" Vista questioned.

"They're famous and their appearances haven't changed much. Along with the fact that I knew them when we were young, it's easy for me to tell it's them. Also, I'd prefer to keep my identity hidden seeing as how I'm not supposed to be known yet." The man said.

"If you aren't supposed to be known, then why are you talking now?" Haruta asked, having calmed down some.

"Why indeed." The man said thoughtfully.

"You're just playing with us aren't you?" Haruta questioned with annoyance.

"Perhaps I am. Perhaps I am not." The man said with a smirk.

"Screw you too…" Haruta muttered causing the man to chuckle.

"My apologies. Those two always made me act… differently I presume you could say." The man said apologetically.

"What do you mean by that?" Vista questioned.

"Tell me. How many of you have changed due to simply knowing Ace? How many more have changed due to knowing Luffy?" The man questioned with a knowing smile.

"Nearly everyone…" Vista muttered in realization.

"Precisely. They have a strange ability, no? Whether you like it or not, those two can change you." The man said.

"You forgot Sabo." Haruta stated.

"Oh? Care to inform me of him?" The man questioned with a smirk.

"I thought you said you knew them…" Haruta sighed before describing the boy in question. "He's smart and is the only one who can actually control the other two. He's impressive."

"I chose to take that as a complement." The man said with a smile.

"What?" Haruta asked.

"Nothing." The man chuckled.

"If it's nothing then why say it?" Vista questioned.

"Fair enough. I shall tell you."

"Really-"

"If you can figure it out." The man said with a smirk, cutting off Haruta.

"I'm really starting to hate you." Haruta said.

"If you so strongly dislike me, then why are you holding back? You were supposed to catch me, correct?" The man asked.

"Yes. We are and we will." Vista stated.

"Then how about I make it easier for you?" The man suggested.

"How would you do that?" Vista asked.

"Simple." The man said as he put his hands up and smiled. "I surrender."

"Wait. What?" Haruta questioned out of confusion.

"I surrender. Do with me what you wish. I'm your prisoner." The man stated, still smiling.

"Why?" Haruta asked suspiciously.

"I would like to ask those boys a few questions. You won't allow me to do so unless locked up. Am I correct?" The man asked.

"Correct." Vista said as he let go of Haruta and grabbed the man's arms, pulling them behind his back. "Let's go."

As Vista started to head back to the ship with the man, Haruta ran over towards the small group of five, telling them the follower was captured.

-x-x-x-

When he got to the ship, the man was put in a cell at the bottom of the ship. He sat in his little cell quietly and peacefully. After a few minutes, he started getting bored and chose to inspect the bars. He had to admit, he was impressed with how thick the kairoseki was. After a few moments of wondering how much it cost, he hit one bar multiple times near the top and bottom at lightning speed.

After a few seconds of waiting, the bar fell over on its own and landed in the man's slightly out stretched hand. With the bar in his hand, he walked back over to the wall and sat against it. He quickly assessed how much of a weapon the bar would make and decided it was good enough.

For a little while, the man did nothing but play with the bar; either spinning it or tossing it in the air and catching it. Soon enough he heard light footsteps and smirked when he realized who it was.

"So. You finally show yourself." The man said.

"What are you doing here?" The visitor questioned.

"I just wanted to talk to my brothers and you. Is that so bad?" The man asked.

"That isn't what I meant." The visitor stated.

"Oh?" The man sounded curiously as he finally looked at his visitor.

"I meant what are you doing in the world of the living, Sabo?" The visitor questioned angrily.

"I'm living. Simple as that." The man, Sabo, stated with a smirk. "Although, I must know one thing."

"That would be?" The visitor asked.

"Who are you and why do you look like me when I was ten?" Sabo questioned. "Surely this isn't just a coincidence."

"Perceptive. I'm impressed. But how did you find out?" The visitor questioned.

"You're supposed to be copying me. Figure it out." Sabo said with a smirk.

**(Aaaaaaaaaand done! I know it's short but hey. It's two thousand more words than it was last night. I seriously collapsed while writing this last night. I was beat… Also I just wanted to say, whichever person said 'I hate you' on 'Promise Me You Won't Cry at My Funeral', I love you too. Don't know if you said it because I might have made you cry, because I killed off Luffy, or what but whatever. Now that that's out of the way, I'm sorry to say this but 'Brothers Returned won't update today. I'm having computer issues. My computer crashed a few minutes ago... Sorry! Fave, follow, read my other stuff, and review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 10:00 P.M.**

**End time – 12:15 P.M.**


	13. Conversations

Chapter 13: Conversations

**(Hey guyz~! So there's this huge ass storm out here and I'm kinda stuck inside with no internet. Time to write I guess. Just a warning, I went on a ride earlier and kinda rolled my bike. In the process of me rolling alongside my bike, I hit my head. So if there's anything that's messed up that I didn't catch, it's because of that. On to the crap!)**

-x-x-x-

_Previously:_

"_Who are you and why do you look like me when I was ten? Surely this isn't just a coincidence."_

"_Perceptive. I'm impressed. But how did you find out?"_

"_You're supposed to be copying me. Figure it out."_

-x-x-x-

Silence rained over them as the younger Sabo thought. He had misjudged the intelligence of the man before him and he knew it. As if the man had read his mind, he spoke what the younger had been thinking.

"I suppose you already know of your failure." The older man spoke.

"I do. I'm sure you already understand your incredible luck." The younger stated.

"I've been told multiple times of it. Would you like to add in your two cents?" The older said with a smirk.

"You were shot by a Celestial Dragon! You should have died!" The younger shouted.

"Technically, the first shot hit my boat and the second I dodged just in time to have it barely graze my arm." The older said as he lifted his sleeve to show a few burn marks and a well-sized scar where the shot had hit.

"If not by the bullet than the fire should have killed you!" The younger shouted with anger.

"While dodging, I had run into a few more flames, causing the burn on my face, and happened to stumble into the water. Before you suggest death by drowning, Dragon saw me fall in and came after me. He saved my life and I owe it to him." The older said.

The younger stared at the older in pure annoyance before continuing. "How'd you find us?"

"Didn't I tell you to figure it out?" The older said with a playful smile.

"Quit screwing with me!" The younger said as he punched the bars separating the two, leaving a large dent in a few of the bars.

"Purely accident. Dragon was curious as to what this crew was doing and sent one of our agents. She saw you three and called me, instructing me to come to this island." The older stated.

"Who?" The younger questioned.

"You like questioning me, don't you?" The older asked.

"Who!?" The younger questioned again.

"Why should I tell you?" The older asked with a smirk.

"Tell me or else I'll kill your brothers!" The younger yelled.

"Who…?" The older asked quietly with wide, shock filled eyes.

"Ace and Luffy. By the way, Ace is alive now. He's was brought back due to Luffy's wish so he is able to die again. Once I get my wish, I'll kill them. I don't care about them like you do. I'm not you." The younger said menacingly.

Immediately, the older was at the bars, glaring at his doppelgänger dangerously while nearly shattering the bar in his hand. "Leave them alone or else I'll murder you myself. I don't care what it takes or who you are. If you hurt my brothers in anyway, I'll kill you immediately." The older growled.

"Over protective now are we?" The younger teased with a smirk.

"My brothers are my life. My reasons for living. I won't let them die so easily." The older informed.

"Then tell me one thing. Why did you let Ace die? Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you try to find Luffy after Ace died? What kind of brother are you for not caring about your brothers? Especially when they're so important to you." The younger asked evilly.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" The older shouted as the pole in his hand shattered into a million pieces.

"Oh? Care to explain?" The younger asked with faked shock.

"I wanted to be there. I wanted to stop that war. I wanted to save Ace. I wanted to find Luffy and be there with him to calm him down. To at least tell him he isn't alone. I wasn't allowed to though. Dragon wouldn't let me leave. At one point I tried to run away but he caught me. He locked me in my room for a month. When I didn't hear anything about Luffy, I thought both of them were dead and I broke down. This was the first time I was allowed to leave. Had I known they were alive, I easily would have searched for them. So don't you _dare _say I don't care about my brothers!" The older informed.

"Oh, poor baby." The younger said with obvious sarcasm.

The older sighed as he lowered his head, the brim of his hat covering his eyes. "Let me see them. I just want to talk to them."

"They don't know you. They won't recognize you. So why do you want to see them so badly?" The younger asked with mild curiosity.

"I just want to know they're safe. You say they don't remember my '_death_', correct?" The older asked.

"Yes…" The younger said hesitantly.

"What's the last thing they remember?" The older asked quietly.

"Excuse me?" The younger asked.

"What is the last moment they remember? How much of their memories of our past did they forget?" The older asked, a little louder this time.

"Everything from the moments before you left them, all the way to present day. They don't remember you leaving and going back to Goa Kingdom or anything afterwards." The younger stated with a raised brow.

"So… Only the better memories remain. That's good to know." The older said with a small smile before looking at the younger with narrowed eyes and a serious expression. "If I find out you've changed anything more than that or that you've harmed them in any way, there will be nowhere to run."

"What's with all the hostility? You're the most level headed out of the three of you and yet you're acting like Ace when he was young and had anger issues." The younger said.

"Don't compare me to a man you don't know. Especially when that man is my passed brother." The older warned.

"First of all, I have your memories of childhood. I know who he is. Secondly, he isn't passed any longer. I revived him less than a month after he died." The younger stated.

"You revived him? How? Are you a Devil Fruit user?" The older questioned.

"Now why would I want to answer that?" The younger teased.

"You came down here to question me I would presume. Now, I believe, all of your questions are out of the way so shouldn't it be my turn?" The older asked.

"Fair point, but not one I agree with." The younger stated.

"If I may I ask, which part? Are you not finished questioning me? Or is it you just don't want to give me answers?" The older questioned.

"I've gotten all I need to know from you. I just prefer not to answer. Now if you'll excuse me. _My _brothers will be worried about me." The younger said with a smirk before leaving.

-x-x-x-

Once the younger Sabo had left, the older let out a sigh and sat against the wall. He stared at the ground in thought, going over the previous conversation in his mind. Soon enough, he heard footsteps leading to his cell. At first, there were no words or any sense of conversation but after some time, Sabo finally looked up. At first he was confused as to why the man was there but he chose not to dwell on it for too long.

"First Division Commander, turned captain, Marco the Phoenix. How are you these days?" Sabo asked calmly.

"What was that conversation about, yoi?" Marco asked, getting straight to his point.

"You overheard? I must say, I'm surprised I didn't find you sooner. How much of it did you hear exactly?" Sabo questioned.

"All of it. Care to explain it to me, yoi?" Marco asked.

"You wouldn't believe me. You care about them too much to agree with someone who would say otherwise of the boys." Sabo stated.

"I'd be willing to listen at the least, yoi." Marco said.

"Fair enough. Ace and Luffy are the real Fire Fist and Strawhat turned children. Ace was even brought back to life. At least that's what I could get clearly." Sabo explained.

"And Sabo?" Marco asked.

"Never died." Sabo stated bluntly.

"Care to explain him since you know him so well, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Never died, never turned into a child, like Luffy. That kid is an imposter. Trying to use Ace and Luffy to gain his wish. I don't know how that works or what the wish is, not even who he is. I just know he's not who you think he is." Sabo explained.

"And you would know that how, yoi?" Marco questioned suspiciously.

"Because I'm Sabo, Ace and Luffy's brother. I never died, obviously, and I'm still twenty. To put it simply, he made a mistake." Sabo explained.

"How so?" Marco asked, choosing to question the familial bonds later on.

"He thought I actually died and thought he could replace me. He found out too late that I was alive. I don't understand why he needed to copy me though…" Sabo stated.

"Understandable. That story of how you survived an attack like that… Was it true, yoi?" Marco questioned.

"I was lucky. If it hadn't of happened, I would have died if I had gone out to sea by myself. I'm glad it happened. Although I could do without the scars." Sabo said with a small chuckle as he nervously scratched the burn scar on his cheek.

"How old were you, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Ten years old." Sabo answered, somewhat sadly.

"Do you know what you were attacked for, yoi? What reasons?" Marco questioned.

"I sailed my boat in front of his ship while waving a black flag. He didn't even care that I was a kid. Not surprising now that I think about it." Sabo stated.

"Not surprising. Although that doesn't make it right, yoi. Those bastards believe themselves to be higher beings when in actuality they are lower than any pirate." Marco practically growled.

"Very true, I must say." Sabo commented.

"To return to the main topic, what would be the complete reason as to why you were following them, yoi?" Marco asked after taking a calming breath.

"I heard there was something I needed to see. When I saw them I started questioning many things. At first, I thought they were just look alikes, but that theory came to a halt when I heard their names and saw how they reacted to certain things. After that… I just wanted to know what kind of sick joke this was. My older brother died and then my younger brother was believed to have died as well… I wanted to know who it was that came up with that idea just so I could take some of my anger out on them… But with what I was just told… Ace is alive as a ten year old while Luffy is seven again. I just want to figure out how to give them their memories back along with their age. I can't let them stay like that any longer." Sabo explained.

"I understand your point of view and that you are of no danger to us. I would let you out now but my crew is still skeptical of you. My apologies but it appears you will have to stay in there for the night, yoi." Marco said apologetically.

"I understand. I'd much rather be in this cell rather than be attacked by Ace's family. Although I must say this is a fairly horrible first impression." Sabo said with a small chuckle.

"I would assume so, yoi. I shall see you in the morning. Thatch will most likely stop by to give you something to eat, yoi." Marco stated.

"Thank you." Sabo said silently before turning away and going back into his thoughts.

**(Aaaaaaaaaaaaand done! It's short. I know. I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! I had shit to do and blah blah-blah blah-blah. Honestly, when writing out the plans for this story, I didn't put much detail into this chapter or the next two. I've considered combining two ideas into one chapter instead of two. The only thing stopping me from that is the fact that I don't want too few chapters and I feel like I won't write it all that well if they get combined. The plan for this chapter was literally two sentences. The next two chapter plans are about the same length. Sorry. Hope it wasn't too bad. Fave, follow, read my other stuff, and review. Bai~! c(X )**

**Start time – 2:30 P.M.**

**End time – 9:45 P.M.**


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